Outcast
by Almi Pendragon
Summary: Complete. Squall & Rinoa. AU. Squall escapes from the mercenary academy, only to be hunted by them and hated by others. Can he find solace in the bewitching woman who is just as alone as he is? Or will he forever be an outcast?
1. Solitude

Author's Note: This is an AU fic . . . meaning you have to suspend a little belief. Quistis and Rinoa are foster sisters (to be explained later) living in a world plagued by continual wars.

_I__ can never escape them. They haunt my peace, my mind, my nightmares, and threaten my sanity. I cannot join the opposition for they fear me. They see me as a heartless mercenary. I cannot blame them though. My kind . . . no, the mercenaries have waged a vicious campaign to eliminate all opposition, all resistance to their hold on the world . . . or what is left of it. _

The dark sky lit by the few stars that dared to challenge the infinite universe carried the shadow of the lone figure on the plains. The night wind rustled the overgrown grass as boots crunched over hard ground.

The finely toned, battle hardened warrior gave another glance over his shoulder. Years of being hunted, condemned, reflected in his cautious actions. He was worth a lot of money – even more if he was brought in dead. It was a sacrifice and willing trade he made for the sanity of his mind. Trained to kill without hesitation, emotion, and absolutely without question was his previous life. It was a life he was willing to live without. He was their finest warrior, promising to be their greatest weapon. Now he was their most wanted target – how they despised and hated him for deserting them. No one dishonored their way of life – not even the best, especially not the best of them.

He sighed once again. _The one concept I wish for is one concept they fail to understand . . . to even consider its remote possibility. I only want forgiveness. I live like an animal – hiding in shadows so they will not find me. It is they who should be living in the shadows and hiding like cowards, not me. The heart-scared man reached the entrance of the forest, alone. He retreated into the woods, finding shelter to sleep for the night. One night was all he could afford to a resting place, any longer and he risked his freedom and life. It had been years since his escape from the mercenary academy, yet they would never forget their blemish and continue to pursue him._

Squall Leonhart slept with nightmares that haunted him since he could remember. At least they kept him alert. A peaceful mind offered too much danger since it would bring comforting dreams and a night of sweet rest – a luxury that he never had experienced. Life as a mercenary demanded the soldier to be ever watchful, even in sleep. Squall did not regret his decision – he was free from mindless orders, and senseless murder.

----

"Can I go?" Rinoa looked up at her foster father for an answer. "I can handle myself."

Cid frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Rinoa . . ." he began.

"Please? You know I love to watch the dawn . . ." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

He was unable to deny his foster daughter anything she wanted, especially when she made him blush with signs of affection.

"Fine fine!" Cid said, blushing and turning around to hide the newfound shade of red. "Just be careful. There are still remnants of _things from the last war and who knows what else is in the forest. Take Quistis with you." Cid did not regard mercenaries as human beings . . . they were merely 'things' or monsters - no better. They were bred to be used as soldiers, obey commands. Who knew if they had a conscience, let alone morals, and humanity?_

Rinoa rolled her eyes. It had been going her way until he mentioned bringing along Quistis. Her older foster sister was bossy and loved proving her superiority – whether it was through knowledge or attraction from males or weapons. She nodded and went to fetch her foster sister.

---

Squall watched the wintry, northern town from afar. It was always from a distance. He dared not make contact with any people lest anyone recognize him. Squall would cause unwanted attention through his weapon, the gunblade. If none recognized him for what he was – a mercenary – they would certainly identify his weapon. He was the only one in the world that fought with a combination of blade and gun. It was a very difficult weapon to handle, let alone fight gracefully and skillfully with it. Squall kept it sheathed in the jeweled scabbard by his side. His cloak further disguised the deadly weapon and its owner.

Squall was perched on a tree, resting against the trunk. He took pleasure in watching the town stir to life with the background of the sun appearing over the horizon. He had never been able to enjoy nature's beauty as a mercenary. It was training from dawn until dusk, and then eating and resting. There was no time for resting idly, or watching the sun outside, or listening to the gentle rain falling so often on the plains.

The town was covered in light snow, and the early sunlight reflected of it.

Squall noticed a figure walking out with a light blue cloak. It was a female due to the light impressions she made along the snow. Besides her was a taller figure cloaked in white. The first woman caught his attention. She pointed towards the sun peaking out from behind the mountains. Her companion laughed at her. Squall shook his head slightly, immediately disliking the taller figure. _She takes it for granted . . . how foolish._

The light blue cloaked figure suddenly looked up in Squall's direction, almost causing him to fall off the tree from surprise. _Shit. How did she see me? He stayed still, as he had been trained._

Rinoa caught sight of someone atop a tree. She met his eyes but said nothing. She headed towards his direction after making an excuse to get away from Quistis. She knew it was dangerous and completely foolish to risk her life just to see a stranger closer. _But there's such sadness, and loneliness in those wintry blue eyes . . . Rinoa finally reached the tree where the man had been. She did not see him there anymore, and felt an unexplainable sadness. Rinoa closed her eyes and sighed. __Damn it. I wanted to . . . I wanted to what? She turned around to head back and gasped. He was standing a few feet in front of her._

His gruff but firm voice startled her thoughts. He was surprised that he could still speak the common tongue easily. "Why do you seek me?"

She blushed and removed her fur lined light blue hood, exposing her delicate features. Night black hair framed her moonlight pale face.

_She's__ beautiful._

"I . . . I did not mean to startle you," came her reply. Rinoa's eyes drifted to his black boots. _Why did I follow him? I don't even know!_

He nodded and turned around, walking off. _I need to leave before she recognizes me – even if it does feel good to talk to another human being after years of solitude._

Her soft, angelic voice penetrated the cold that promised to envelop the young warrior. "Wait . . . please?" _Why am I doing this?!_

Squall complied, and turned around, still partially hidden by his black cloak.

"What are you doing out here? I mean, there's a town nearby for you to rest at . . ." Rinoa stalled, trying to say anything that would make the intriguing, melancholy man stay longer.

His face remained emotionless, but his eyes held the pain he felt in his heart. He sighed. "You wouldn't understand." He took another step back.

Rinoa began to plead. "Please . . . let me help you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. _Another trick? "Go away."_

Rinoa ignored the sting of his last comment. She took a step towards him. "And if I don't?" _Let me help you . . . we share the same pain . . . your beautiful blue eyes betray you, my mysterious stranger._

Squall suddenly leapt at her, with his blade drawn and pressed it to her throat. "I'll be forced to kill you if you don't stop following me. I know you want the bounty, but you'll not trick me." During his leap, his hood fell back, revealing his striking features.

Rinoa was amazed at how handsome the man was in front of her. She almost forgot the situation she was in, but she knew he would not harm her. She could sense it. "Bounty? Are you a criminal?" she pried as Squall roughly pushed her away and walked away yet again.

He froze. _She doesn't know who I am, what I am . . . then what does she want with me? Squall turned around and looked into her eyes. __You can see that I am not. He sheathed his gunblade._

She answered her own question. Rinoa whispered, piercing his gaze with her own. "No . . . you're not a criminal. Then why do you hide?" She sensed him about to leave and decided to ask him a simple question. "Tell me at least this," she paused as he stood facing her. "What's your name?"

There was a long silence as the young warrior debated on the consequences of telling her his name. "…Squall." He looked to her eyes for fear, shock, and misplaced hatred. The mercenary academy had spread lies about him in order to aid his capture. Again, she shocked him. He found none of the expected emotions in her eyes. She nodded, knowingly and unsurprised.

"Leonhart," Rinoa finished for him. "I've heard of you . . . of what you've supposedly done. I don't believe the stories though. I believe in your innocence . . . your sadness, and even your humanity." 

She heard Quistis coming through the crunching of boots not too far off. Squall heard them as well. He looked to her once again, allowing her to finish her thoughts.

"I hope to see you again Squall . . ." Rinoa half-smiled at him. She was heartbroken at his departure as the hood again covered his wavy brown hair and his silent steps lead him away from the town. She was comforted with his presence and meeting him. 

_Good luck and hopefully not goodbye Squall . . ._


	2. Changes and Choices

Author's Note: I'm still debating on how much romance/drama/action should I put in. This story could go so many ways . . . so let me know what you guys want most of. Til the next chapter =)

Days passed as Squall stayed around the small town, hoping to catch another glimpse of the raven-haired girl. She was a mystery to him. There was no one who had been unafraid of him before, especially after discovering his identity. He could accept hatred, fear, solitude and the loneliness that threatened to consume him, but he could not understand her forgiveness. He spotted a small stream nearby and decided to hunt. The crisp air stung at his cheeks and hands as he kneeled by the water, waiting patiently for fish to swim by. After several minutes, his reward was two trout. Squall headed into a nearby cave to light a fire to cook his meal. He could not afford someone seeing the smoke and investigating. 

After roasting the fish sufficiently, Squall began to eat. Then he heard the familiar soft crunching of snow a small distance away.

"Squall?" whispered Rinoa as she looked around. The snowy white scene betrayed no movement. _Please let him still be here . . . She lowered her light blue hood once more and peered into her surroundings. Then she felt __his presence. Rinoa spun around too quickly and almost fell except for a strong pair of arms steadying her._

Squall quickly jerked his hands back from her. It was the first time he had ever touched someone in many years. He took a couple of steps back and resumed his gruff pretense. He narrowed his eyes and asked harshly, "What are you doing back here?"

Rinoa was not fazed. She gave him a small smile. "Ever the charmer I see." She paused before pushing an invisible stray strand of her hair behind her ear, as was her habit when she was nervous. "I just wanted to talk to you, if you don't mind of course." Rinoa let her voice trail off. She really hoped that he did not mind her presence.

Squall said nothing but turned around and headed back towards his cave and meal. He walked a few more steps but did not hear hers. "Fine, whatever."

Rinoa decided that was the closest answer to a 'yes,' she would get from him and hurriedly followed him.

They seated themselves alongside the fire. Rinoa sat slightly apart from Squall. He did not seem comfortable with human contact just yet. Squall did not continue to eat but merely looked away from Rinoa's gaze.

She started the conversation, or rather monologue. "How long has it been since you escaped?"

"Three years," came the curt and seemingly irritated reply.

Rinoa nodded her head in thought. "You're from Balamb right? What's it like there?"

Squall sighed. "I don't know. We weren't allowed outside unless for missions."

"Why did you escape? I mean, I thought mercenaries have no free will or conscience," Rinoa asked.

Squall rolled his eyes. "We have free will and a . . . 'conscience' as you call it. It is just hard to oppose beliefs that have been instilled since you can remember."

Rinoa laughed a little. "You avoided the question. What makes you different from the rest of them?"

_Geez__, does every human ask this many questions? No wonder we were never allowed to talk to them. We always asked them questions and expected a concise reply. It is . . . nice though. But you cannot grow accustomed to comfort. It's all taken away from you eventually. There are no such things as friends among mercenaries . . . comrades maybe, but no true friends. Perhaps this is what Ultimecia did not want us to see . . . that life is not all war or back-stabbing policies._

"Squall?" Rinoa waved a hand in front of his eyes.

He came out of his thoughts and remembered her question. "My parentage perhaps. My parents were the only ones I ever knew that didn't believe in the need to kill. They believed in your way of life." Squall felt an ache in his heart. _Mom . . . Dad . . . I wish you were here with me now and telling me that I'm doing the right thing . . . that living my life as an outcast is better than living with mercenaries._

Rinoa sensed Squall's pain and asked quietly. "What happened to your parents?"

Squall laughed bitterly but said nothing.

"I have to go . . . but I'll see you soon ok? You will still be here won't you?"

Squall did not look up at the leaving figure. He gave her a one-word reply: "Whatever."

Rinoa pretended to be angry. "Meany!" She smiled as she turned around and left.

Squall chuckled at her response after she had gone. It felt good, almost natural to laugh.

----

"But Dad!" Rinoa protested.

"No buts! I said it and I mean it! You are not to go out there! Someone sighted a mercenary, and I refuse to let you endanger yourself just to watch the dawn!" Cid yelled. There would be no arguing with him now. He was very stubborn and authoritative when he wanted to be. Cid was also very protective of his daughters.

Rinoa crossed her arms but did not say anything more. She knew it would be pointless to argue now. She headed up to her room where Quistis was sitting on her bed.

"What do you want?" Rinoa asked tiredly. She was in no mood to deal with her foster sister.

"I know your secret!" Quistis said in a sing-song voice.

That got Rinoa's attention and she narrowed her eyes at Quistis. "Whatever." _Geez__, he's already rubbing off on me! This can't be good!_

"I'm going to tell! Then you'll really never be let outside again!" Quistis smiled smugly. Despite being one of the best fighters in the village, Quistis was still very innocent and childish. She did not know what it was to be a true, battle-hardened warrior.

Quistis jumped off the bed and pretended to walk towards the door. Rinoa stopped her with a firm arm. "You're not going to tell any one," she said firmly.

"And why shouldn't I? What would you give me?" Quistis asked. There was always something to be gained from useful knowledge.

"What do you want?" Rinoa rolled her eyes tiredly. As if not being able to see Squall was not enough, now she had to put up with her foster sister too. She was not having a good day.

Quistis did not even hesitate in her answer. She had given it sufficient thought already. She stated matter-of-factly, "I want to meet him."

"That's not possible and not up to me," Rinoa protested. Squall would be very angry and probably even leave if someone else knew about his presence. She hope he would be forgiving and comforted by the fact Quistis kept her secrets and promises . . . most of the time.

"Then I guess you won't get to see him again. Besides, I'm sure you guys are best buddies now that you've been spending so much time together. He'd probably do anything for you!" Quistis announced. She wanted to meet Squall because he was very dangerous from the reports, as well as very handsome. There were people who had shown his picture and asked about him. Then again, she would be one of the very few people to meet a mercenary and live. Quistis also believed there was nothing Rinoa could have that she couldn't. She decided that if she liked Squall enough, she'd use her 'irresistible' charm so that he'd have no choice but to dump Rinoa for her!

Rinoa sighed, defeated. She had no choice. "Get us out of here then."


	3. The Real Outcast

"Seifer, kome here. This mission is of great importance," Ultimecia began.

Seifer stepped closer with a characteristic cocky grin on his face. He would not fail this test. He was, after all the best fighter in the mercenary academy, or so it was rumored. There were bets placed on Squall and there were bets placed on Seifer. Squall had run away before they could find out who was the better.

"Seifer, I want you to bring the traitor back, **alive." Ultimecia wanted to torture Squall personally.**

"No problem," Seifer replied.

"Do NOT be arrogant, foolish boy!" screamed Ultimecia.

Seifer lost the smirk immediately. He answered quietly, as she had touched upon his insecurities. "I am not a boy."

Ultimecia tossed her head back and laughed. It was too easy to play her instruments. She managed a wicked smile. "We shall see."

---

Twigs cracked under Rinoa's feet despite her best efforts to move stealthily. She winced as a particularly loud _crack sounded from under her feet._

"You'll never be of any use except for a semi-competent housewife," scoffed Quistis.

Rinoa said nothing but sighed in response to the insult. She was use to it after all. It was pointless to argue with her foster sister who believed she could accomplish anything. The two women had completely different outlooks on everything.

Rinoa was humble, grateful to Cid for raising her. She felt lucky to be rescued and sheltered. Quistis however, felt she deserved everything. Cid was the lucky one. After all, who could be so fortunate as to raise such a wonderful, perfect foster daughter?

Rinoa was kind, sympathetic to others, where as Quistis was unforgiving. Quistis felt bitter towards her parents for abandoning her – and it showed in the way she acted towards other people. She was manipulative, using others, especially stupid men who fell for her charms for her own purposes – sometimes just to entertain herself, other times to show Rinoa who the real woman was.

"Are we almost there yet?" Quistis asked impatiently.

"Almost," answered Rinoa softly. She was wrestling with her conscience. She knew Squall did not want any one else to know his whereabouts, but she desperately wanted . . . needed to see him again.

The forest was still a beautiful blinding white. Crystal snowflakes began to fall. Rinoa looked up at the sky and held out her hand, catching one dazzling, intricately fashioned snowflake. She smiled away from Quistis, who would only mock her childlike innocence. Unbeknownst to her, Squall was watching her hidden pleasure.

Rinoa pulled her light blue fur-lined hood with gloved hands. "We're here," she said, stopping in front of a cave entrance.

"You first. He might have laid a trap or something," Quistis said while she pushed Rinoa into the cave.

Rinoa stumbled but caught her balance on a nearby rock.

Quistis followed, satisfied there was no trap. She smiled haughtily, straightening her hair with her fingers.

"Call him," she ordered Rinoa.

"I'm sorry Squall . . . I hope you will forgive me," she muttered under her breath. "Squall! Are you here?" Rinoa called out.

Silence was her answer. She smiled with bittersweet thoughts. Maybe Squall had left to find a better hiding place. Maybe he would find the acceptance and peace he was looking for. Maybe . . .

Rinoa whirled around sensing another presence . . . _his presence. She saw the edge of a gunblade pressed against Quistis's throat. A glowing white-blue blade, Lionheart._

"Don't say a word," Squall growled dangerously into Quistis's ear. The hard winter-blue eyes shifted to Rinoa.

She saw the look of betrayal, and anger in his eyes. Squall was waiting for an explanation.

"She knew. She's been following me when I went to see you. Quistis is my foster sister," Rinoa explained hurriedly. She disliked Quistis, but she did not want to see her hurt.

Squall's eyes softened slightly but his grip on Lionheart did not flinch. "You do realize the consequences of your actions, don't you?"

Tears began to form in Rinoa's doe-brown eyes and she turned her head away to hide them from the mercenary. Emotions were a weakness . . . that's what she knew he had been taught. She couldn't let him see her weak. She wiped the tears away with her hand and faced Squall, sadly nodding. 

"There was no choice for me." Rinoa tried to explain while losing the battle with her falling teardrops. "It was either taking Quistis to see you or have her tell everyone and risk your freedom." She looked at the ground, avoiding his piercing gaze. "I did what I had to . . . I can only hope for your forgiveness before you leave." Rinoa closed her eyes and balled up her fists, praying for strength. She wondered what Squall was thinking, how much he hated her . . . 

"I don't want you to leave hating me . . . but I don't know how to make it up to you . . . or how to make you understand I did what I thought was best for you." Rinoa didn't want to lose the only friend she felt she had, besides her foster parents.

Squall said nothing. He thought about his options. He studied the beautiful raven-haired girl who had been his sole companion for the past few days. She had shown him the beauty of humanity with a smile at simple delights, of carefree afternoons, and of peace . . . inner peace. The demons that haunted him had been silent while she talked to him, told him of her childhood, her memories. Squall secretly wanted to see her smile, laugh and be anything but sad. He knew he had no choice in his decision either.

Squall raised an eyebrow at Rinoa. "Who said I was leaving?" There was a very small hint of a teasing smile upon his lips. He would not be the one to break this beautiful girl's heart.

Her eyes fluttered open. Rinoa was in a state of disbelief. Her wildest and almost impossible hope had been realized. Forgetting everything except her happiness, Rinoa ran to Squall and pushed Quistis aside. She flew into his arms, resting her head upon his shoulder while warm tears of joy ran down her already tear-stained cheek.

Squall was shocked by her suddenness and unsure of what to do. Both of his arms were still parallel to the ground, in position from holding Quistis. Squall lowered his arm holding his gunblade and used his other arm to roughly push Rinoa away, despite his protesting inner emotions. The contact unnerved him.

"Get off," he said gruffly.

Rinoa looked hurt and Squall regretted his harsh tone with the gentle beauty. They were interrupted by a wolf whistle. Squall immediately turned towards Quistis, annoyed and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey Rin, no wonder you kept him all to yourself. He's very . . . well built." Quistis eyed the mercenary extensively, much to his displeasure. She set her cornflower blue eyes upon his wintry blue ones. "Are you as dangerous as they say . . . Squall?" Quistis pried as she ran a finger down the side of his arm.

Squall pulled away from her and stood closer to Rinoa, much to Quistis's dismay. "Leave," he barked.

"Oh surely you don't mean that," Quistis said with a sultry expression. "I mean you can't possibly stand Rinoa's company . . . unless . . ." Quistis smiled knowingly and with malicious intent.

Rinoa's eyes widened in realization of the secret Quistis was about to expose. "No! Don't Quistis! You promised! We made a deal remember?!" Rinoa was frantic to keep Quistis from talking.

Squall stood between the two women as to figure out what they were talking about. "What is she talking about Rinoa?" asked Squall _Rinoa . . . you would have told me right? He looked at Rinoa, whose eyes pleaded with him for understanding. __Rin . . ._

"I knew he didn't know! No one could ever be your friend if they knew." Quistis smiled triumphantly.

"Squall . . ." Rinoa whispered. "I'm so sorry." With that, she ran out, letting crystalline tears continue their trail. _Quistis is right. No one would ever be my friend if they knew. She shut her eyes in pain and ran off deeper into the forest._

Quistis purred at Squall, moving closer to him once again, until she placed both hands on his shoulders. "With that out of the way . . . you can let your true self show. You don't have to pretend to be her friend just to impress me." The tall physically beautiful blonde caressed Squall's roughly-shaven face with one hand.

Squall snapped out of his reverie and grabbed Quistis's offending hand. He held it with a crushing and bruising grip. "The hell I'll ever do anything to impress you . . . stay away from me," he spat.

"Aw . . . you spent far too much time alone. You don't know what you're saying," Quistis replied, unfazed.

"Let me make myself very clear so even you can understand. I don't want or need a pathetic excuse for a woman and a friend you pretend to be," Squall said with a steel-blue stare. With that, he dropped her hand and slipped out of the cave and into the forest to track down Rinoa.

Author's Note: Not to shabby I think . . . I've decided on several twists in the story that you may or may not guess (probably not =P). If you're reading my other fic, Emerald Dragon . . . it's currently on hold due to writer's block (what else?). Anyways, drop a line or two; let me know if this is going where you want it to. Til the next chapter ;)


	4. Prey for Me

Author's Note: Just so I don't get in any trouble, I've been influenced by R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf trilogies (namely Homeland, Exile, Sojourn). So if you wondered about that . . . lol you were right. Heh, I wonder if I'm evil for not revealing Rinoa's secret just yet. The ironic thing is I was going to in this chapter b/c I didn't think it was a big deal. Then I read all the reviews and might just throw a twist into it. Lol, yep, definitely evil.

Rinoa ran sobbing. She felt rejection, shame, pain from the fact she'd never be normal. She'd never have a 'normal life,' and most of all, someone to love her. Trees passed by her in a blur as she blindly ran on, trying to escape the truth of Quistis's words. She hiccupped back a sob. _She promised! She promised . . ._

The snow began to fall again, and the tears that fell from Rinoa's soft face turned to ice after leaving the warmth of her skin. After running for a while into the forest, Rinoa fell to the ground, and crawled up to the base of a tree. She pulled her knees up and curled into a ball, trying to console herself. She rocked herself. _I'll always be alone . . . except for Angelo. Thankfully Quistis doesn't know about him._

She pulled out a small shiny clear orb. She concentrated on summoning her pet. "Angelo come to me."

The figure of a dog materialized. Angelo barked happily and worriedly at his mistress. He nuzzled up to her and she began to cry again. Angelo tried his best to comfort Rinoa, but sensed a presence. His ears pricked up and he growled threateningly. He stood in front of Rinoa, protectively.

Rinoa didn't hear the soft growl through her sobs. "Squall," she whispered regretfully.

"You called?" replied a deep, rich voice from behind her.

Rinoa did hear that. She looked up happily and wiped away the tears. "Squall?" she asked unsure that he was really there.

He gave her a slight smile, as much as he was able to smile. It was a foreign feeling to him – to express joy or to comfort someone. It was a subject definitely not taught at the mercenary academy. Personal relationships were recently strictly forbidden unless arranged by Ultimecia herself. She handpicked the couple in order to breed more efficient, stronger soldiers.

Squall took another step closer to her, but Angelo growled louder and snarled at him, warning him to stay back. "I'd help you up, but your guard dog here doesn't seem to like me."

"Oh!" Rinoa laughed slightly, causing more tears to squeeze from her eyes. "Angelo! Down boy!"

The dog calmed down and sat on its haunches, close to its mistress, while sniffing Squall.

"Sorry," Rinoa sniffed. "He's a little protective." She gave him a small smile. 

Squall tread over the fallen snow to reach her. He kneeled down and offered a hand. "You should be inside now." He stared at Rinoa's face in the soft light. It was illuminated with a soft glow and all he could think of was how much he wanted to caress her, to hold her in his arms protectively. He wanted her to feel as if nothing would harm her. But he reigned in his emotions. To be ruled by feelings was a flaw severely punished by your enemy, by the academy. Although Squall wasn't sure how much of their teachings were true.

Rinoa brushed off the snow from her cloak and accepted the outstretched hand gingerly. She didn't want to tell him and even if she did, she didn't know how. She avoided his gaze and silently started upon the path towards the village. "Walk me back?" she asked softly.

Squall nodded his consent. "As far as I can."

He wanted to force her to tell him what was wrong, what was bothering her. But looking at her crestfallen figure, he knew there would be no response. So he took what she offered, her company. And it was enough.

The two figures tread across the white path, covered by layers of snow. Most life forms were frozen away, dormant until the sun melted the cold. Only humans would go into the forest or into the cold, and even then it was a foolish decision, either made by necessity or stupidity. Nature was not kind to those who didn't follow common sense.

Rinoa took in her surroundings, despite the hood covering her head. The winter scene reminded her of Squall – frozen away from the world, alone, and enduring. He had survived in his conscience and his morals, when so many others didn't know what the two words meant. She admired his strength and only wished she could have borrowed it. She couldn't tell him. He would hate her and what little companionship she did have left would be gone. She was what he feared the most.

---

Quistis kicked the side of the cave in anger and frustration. What did Rinoa have that she didn't? The sweet and innocent act? Squall should have seen through it. _I should have told Squall when I had the chance. Then there would have been no competition. Her strands of blond hair fell out of place and she hastily tucked them behind her ear. She had spent too much time thinking and it was becoming nightfall. She needed to get back to the village immediately. The snow lions were known to attack at night, and in packs._

Quistis set out from the cave, taking a moment to discern her whereabouts. Rinoa had crisscrossed paths and backtracked too many times for her to count. She was south of the town she guessed and began to head north. Her boots made a lot of noise as her haste overcame her abilities for stealth. The sunlight was quickly fading and Quistis was scared of being alone. She had plenty of training, but not a lot of field experience. And she knew that was where it mattered.

She began running as dusk turned to night and a howl could be heard the distance. Quistis wasn't far from the town, but she wasn't close either. She began to sweat and breathe hard due to fear and exhaustion. She kept running.

"Damn Squall! Damn Rinoa!" she swore under her breath. She would have been safe inside the town if it weren't for them.

Quistis should not have talked. She should not have mentioned the one name that was infamous to men and mercenaries alike. Too bad common sense had left her with the falling of the night. It was her first mistake.

An object whistled through the air and Quistis didn't manage to move out of its way before the knife embedded itself in her shoulder blade. She yelled in pain but continued to run, after stumbling for a couple of steps. The blood ran down her shoulder and drops fell onto the ground.

Her heart thudded in her chest. _Breathe! Run! Run! Simple thoughts filled her mind and left her dangerously unguarded against the intelligent predators of the forest. She stumbled over a tree root that she couldn't see._

Quistis was more than terrified. She knew there was something following her, but she couldn't hear it. She almost wished she could have seen what was chasing her, so that she would know where her enemy was, or even what it was. Perhaps it was one of the hunters, thinking she was a deer. Not the most rational thought, but a thought. The next thought was interrupted as Quistis heard the familiar, terrifying whistle of a blade. She tried to dodge, but the owner of the weapon had anticipated that and it embedded in her other shoulder.

Quistis fell to the ground, bleeding small trickles of blood. She stumbled to get up. She needed to run, to get away. _Please, Please! I don't want to die. Hyne save me, I don't want to die! Her last prayer. The blonde woman continued to run, unfortunately not towards the village. Her hunter had scared her witless and she had forgotten which direction she should have run._

Branches cracked under the boots as Quistis frantically scrambled to get out of the night, out of the forest. She should have paid more attention, but her fear knew no rational. She wanted to scream, but it would cause her to lose precious air, as well as letting other predators know her whereabouts. Quistis turned around, trying to see who was chasing her. There was nothing but shadows, peering out at her, daring her to keep her courage.

Her last mistake.

She ran into a tree and fell to the floor, trying to get up, but not quick enough. A cloaked figure stopped in front of her, holding a blade to her throat. He smirked and in that smile mocked her for her efforts to live, to survive and escape her nightmares. It had only begun.

"W-w-ho are you?" Quistis whimpered in pain and fear. Her normal brave, arrogant demeanor had been replaced. She tried to move away but there were no exits between the man and the tree.

The man leaned over, removing the cowl covering his head. "Your fucking knight in armor," he taunted. Seifer leaned down and roughly pulled Quistis to her feet. He turned her around and pulled his knives out. The chase was thrilling for him. Seifer felt his training had finally been put to good use. The sheer power and adrenaline overwhelmed him. Her life was forfeit, his to do with as he wished. He could only imagine the power Ultimecia would bring him.

The harsh movement of removing the daggers caused Quistis to cry out. Blood flowed freely down her back. She wanted to die right then because she was afraid of the torture the hooded figure offered. It seemed a much more merciful alternative.

Seifer looked at her in disgust. She was weak. Civilians were weak. They did not deserve to rule the world, let alone live. He prepared a cure spell. He only wanted to close her wounds, not to ease her suffering. He needed her alive. She would be his link to finding Squall.

Quistis saw the cure spell Seifer was about to cast and interrupted him by pushing him back.

"What the fuck--?!" he cursed at her. "Unless you want the snow lions to track the both of us, I suggest you let me close the wounds."

Quistis's determination returned. "No."

Seifer raised an eyebrow. Even if she was weak, she was definitely a paradox. He looked puzzled for a moment and then realized her intentions. He sneered at her, "You aren't going to die on me yet. I still need your information." He pushed her back against the tree and managed to cast a cure spell, closing her wounds. "You're no use to me dead, even if I'd prefer you that way."

Quistis crossed her arms, but held her tongue. She knew that now wasn't the time to argue, especially with the threat of other animals.

"Move," Seifer commanded and pushed her ahead of him.

Quistis stumbled and fell to the ground, for what seem like the usual routine from the night. She had lost a lot of her blood and was weak. She wouldn't be able to walk the distance Seifer needed.

He merely stared at her and sighed, annoyed that he'd have to carry her. He leaned down and hoisted her over his shoulder. In his other hand he wielded his gunblade.

Seifer carried her through the night over his shoulder, never pausing to rest. He needed to prepare for the coming battle with Lionhart, and being caught off guard would not help Seifer. He was preparing to win.


	5. The Winter Rose

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I mean wow =P Lol, I'm so bad . . . as I'm writing right now, I'm still undecided of when to reveal Rinoa's secret. Hey, maybe if I get enough people yelling at me…lol, we'll see.

To Angel of the Lion: Thanks for the reviews first off. Second, I must warn you, it's a dynamic fic, meaning the characters will most likely change. 'Evil' will not always be and 'pure/true' will not always last. 

"So . . ." Rinoa began to fidget as she spotted the village just out of the clearing. Squall stopped and Rinoa instinctively knew he could go no further. She played with the tips of her fingers, looking at the ground. She was shy, innocent in the art of friendship and men. Although her heart was stained with the weight of immeasurable guilt, she managed to keep her warm, caring and open-hearted personality. She was the type to help everyone else besides herself. It was easier to fix problems when they weren't yours.

Squall arched an eyebrow inquisitively at Rinoa while maintaining a stoic and stern posture. He was rigid – partially from training, but mostly from being alone.

"Thank you," Rinoa burst out suddenly very shy and afraid of her feelings toward the hunter in front of her. He was bred to be a killer but that fact held no weight with her as she dared to look into his grey-blue eyes for brief seconds. Her courage faded, she quickly looked down towards the ground, but her eyes focused upon his hands. Black leather gloves covered what must have been pure, soft white hands. She wondered but never dared to even consider the thought for long.

Squall studied Rinoa as he also kept an awareness of the surroundings. _A warrior must always be alert, ever ready for any danger or circumstance_. He wondered if there was any real danger besides the mercenaries. Squall was a fast learner and he sensed a shift in Rinoa's attitude. She wanted to tell him something, but was afraid. Her body language – the tense hands, fidgeting, not meeting his gaze – all hinted at some greater secret that the owner feared to betray. What price? What consequence could this secret hold? Then he realized what she feared – she was afraid of losing him.

The candle-light dusk splayed out across their surroundings, igniting the ice covered trees, and the two people standing in the outskirts of the forest. Warmth touched the last of the earth before leaving it to the frost night would bring.

Squall was a patient man, but even this silence was too great a burden to wait through. "Tell me," he prodded and urged her while maintaining the five foot distance between them. Human contact was still something he was unaccustomed to, as well her kindness and spirit. A little company was the least he could offer, despite the protests of his lone wolf nature.

"Squall – I," Rinoa trailed off, unsure of where to start or how to finish. Then an idea formed in her gentle mind. She spoke softly, raising her eyes to meet his, gazes never wavering, never breaking. "How many people have you killed?" she asked softly. She knew the burden he carried and only wished to find a way to tell him. If only there was a way to avoid what she had to say, had to tell him. Rinoa tucked a wild strand of her jet black hair behind her ear as she folded her arms across her chest. The winter night and its ethereal coldness were returning to claim its territory as the moon began to rise.

Squall winced involuntarily, ashamed, guilt spilling into his consciousness. _Of all the Hyne damned questions . . ._ He cut off his thoughts. He sensed a reason as he searched for her purpose in her eyes. Squall narrowed his eyes and sighed. "I killed perhaps hundreds of mercenaries in our civil wars. You understand every Garden fights to have control over the rest. Each is controlled by a Headmistress, or _Sorceress if you will." Squall spat the term sorceress. He hated her, he hated their kind. They only brought evil and sought to control all life forms. However, he would not let his hate destroy him. Squall felt it was the Sorceress's way of life to dominate. That was their purpose, their reason for living._

Rinoa flinched and tears threatened to escape from her eyes. He wasn't making this easy. "Squall. I know. I'm asking how many _humans_ – civilians – did you kill."

Squall's eyes betrayed his confusion. _Why in Hyne's name . . . whatever. He gave up trying to question a woman's reasons._

"None," came the honest and almost proud response. In all his life as a mercenary, he had never killed a civilian. He had not been ready to undergo such missions as Ultimecia saw fit. Had he stayed any longer, he would have had civilian blood stained on his hands. Squall knew the price of innocent blood. It took away a mercenary's humanity, slowly, almost agonizingly in the form of nightmares, guilt, and torment. Squall had nightmares from the training for such missions. He had been ordered to go along with his older teammates – to watch and learn from them. Squall remembered the screams, the pleas for mercy, but all in vain. His teammates had slaughtered an entire village as an example for the rest of the neighboring villages. It was for the good of the mercenaries Ultimecia had said. She said that civilians would betray them, wanted to kill and murder them. The civilians were the evil ones, she had told them.

"How noble, how lucky you are," Rinoa replied with envy apparent in her tone. She bowed her head down, ashamed of her jealousy. "Squall, before I tell you . . . I want to thank you for being my friend. It was more than I ever had from anyone. I've always been everyone's friend . . . but no one was ever my friend. Quistis wouldn't allow it. She called it being protective of me." Rinoa began to ramble and realized how she must have been boring Squall.

She looked up at him, and her eyes . . . her innocent eyes begged with him for any kind of understanding, or forgiveness.

"Squall," she paused, locking her eyes onto his. "I'm the reason I'm an orphan." Squall looked confused and Rinoa continued. ". . . I killed my parents Squall." With that, she ran for the second time that day, letting her tears reclaim her face. She saw the shock, the horror registered in Squall's eyes. She knew he would reject her as Quistis promised her everyone who knew would.

Angelo, meanwhile had been trailing behind the two the entire time and saw his mistress sprint to the village. He looked up at Squall with puppy-dog eyes as if to say: What did you do this time?

Squall was indeed shocked but knew there must be more to the story than Rinoa told. He reached into his cape to pull out a Snow Rose. The luscious dewy white flower was surrounded with a blue edge to every petal. Its fragrance mocked the winter that borne it. It hinted of spring, of purity and of warmth. The flower was thought to be extinct, but Squall had found a plant that offered its single innocence to him. He was waiting of the right time to somehow give it to Rinoa without her knowing he had. Squall was unsure of himself and how to properly present a flower. This was definitely something he had never learned or even remotely interested in. But he knew. Instinct claimed him and romance inspired him.

"Angelo." Squall said to the dog who was about to run after Rinoa. "Give this to your mistress." The warrior knelt down and uncharacteristically laid the stem of the flower gently in the dog's open mouth.

Angelo softly clamped down on the flower as if not to lose it and ran after Rinoa.

Author's Note #2: I decided to write this chapter solely about this scene. I felt it was a good way to hint at the friction/attraction between the two as well as Rinoa's secret – the thing most people wanted to know. Lol, although I think you hate me for not explaining . . . but that's for the next chapter! =P


	6. Snowy Memories

Author's Note: First off, I just wanted to apologize for not thanking everyone personally. I do appreciate every one of the reviews!

To Exhile87: Clever girl =) I'm still debating on Seifer/Quistis pairing. Depends on you guys . . . anyone out there want or don't want a Seifer/Quistis pairing in this fic?

To angel-of-the-lion: Thanks for proofing this chapter. =)

To Optical Goddess: To answer your questions, Squall walked Rinoa to the outskirts of the forest, just in sight of the village. Rinoa ran back to the village at the end of the last chapter. Second, Cid doesn't know Rinoa and Quistis are gone (they snuck out), but he'll find out soon enough. Thanks for the reviews, and I apologize if I was unclear.

Second thing, I didn't explain that the Garden concept is different in my fic. I just realized it was a bit ironic for the Sorceresses to lead the Garden – since Garden was created to destroy them in the game (not in my fic). Heh. It'll work out and I'll explain it further. Ok, til next time =P

_I remember in waking what I see in dreams. A blur of images, memories repressed, deaths chosen to be forgotten. However, no matter how much I isolate my mind along with my being, I cannot and will **not **forget the murder of my parents; the betrayal of the one I thought loved us . . ._

//Flashback//

_"Squall, come here for a minute my darling," called a lovely voice of a woman from living room of the dorm. She had average brown hair pinned down with a hair band. Her patience with her impatient son was that of a mother – infinite. It was the third time she called for the young boy._

_Squall, groaning trudged into the room, begrudging every minute of having to get ready for his 'important day.' "Mom, can we please go already? I look fine," he insisted._

_Raine__ gave him the gentle smile that would forever be associated with her in Squall's memories. It symbolized her patience, kindness, and what Squall would later learn to be pure love. She motioned for him to come closer as she brushed her hair one last time._

_"Let me straighten your clothes," she lightly ordered. She wanted the best for her son, just as every morally conscience parent would. _

_Squall rolled his eyes but obeyed. Dragging his steps he went over to the couch and plopped down, slouching as a small symbol of his rebellion._

_Raine__ tenderly fixed the mess that was Squall, pushing his hair aside so that his eyes were visible. "There. Now that wasn't so bad right?"_

_Squall coughed a "whatever," which received another motherly smile from Raine._

_She turned to him, becoming serious in nature. "Squall. I want you to listen to me very carefully."_

_Crossing his arms, he turned to his mother. Just because she was related to him didn't mean he would give her an easy time._

_It seemed the perfect family with the typical problems – a rebellious son, a patient mother, the goofy father, and the playful daughter. Illusions were expected, even in the private homes of the mercenaries. They could not have the 'simple' problems of the civilian world. Their world was about murder, death, assassinations. Terrible memories of the mercenary lifestyle could only lay dormant for so long before seeping into the consciousness of the damned. They damned themselves with the choices they unknowingly made – participating in nightly raids of the innocents living around Garden._

_"You're old enough to know the real truth of Garden, the sorceress . . ." she began. Even the best mothers could only bury the truth within the pretense of the 'normal' family life for so long._

_With a faked yawn, Squall pretended not to hear, but complied by listening._

//End Flashback//

The self-declared, ex-mercenary crouched, hiding behind a part of the darkened wall surrounding the village. He was positioned on top of the wall, out of sight of the patrolling and very noisy guards, who chatted and talked of what their wives were cooking for dinner. Squall spotted the house Rinoa just entered and waited for Angelo, wherever that dog was, to find her and do the one thing he could not – properly comfort her. Even when he had been near her, saw the traitor tears fall heavy with guilt from her eyes, he knew not what to say, how to act. No one had comforted him in the painful history he knew to be his life.

Squall continued to remember the events of his past, the memories that tormented him especially in his loneliness and ironically peace. The quiet that enveloped him left him alone to his thoughts, his past, almost taunting him to find solace in nature's 'comfort.' Silence allowed his thoughts to plague him, ever reminding him of his failure, not as a mercenary, but as a son.

//Flashback//

_"What do you mean Ultimecia is 'evil,' Mom?" Squall was puzzled by his mom. What she had told him completely conflicted what he had been taught by the academy. Civilians were the enemy, not the mercenaries, right?_

_"Squall . . ." Raine began as the door opened to reveal a tall, lanky, and clumsy figure and a much shorter figure._

_Laguna coughed uncomfortably at his intrusion on the obviously serious discussion between his wife and son. "We can come back later. Ellone and I can practice some more magic. Right Ell?!" His childlike demeanor shone through as he knelt down to his daughter._

_"Right Dad!" shouted the tiny figure as she lifted her small palm in a high-five. She bounced up and down eagerly at the prospect of playing with the 'faeries' magic. Laguna swept her up in his arms. He felt so lucky to have this bit of sanity in the dangerous Garden society. He had the perfect family – the hyper, cute daughter, the tough son, and a wife that was the very image of loveliness. Adoringly, he turned shy eyes to his wife._

_Raine__ shook her head. "You should hear this too Ellone. Sit next to your brother."_

_Laguna knew what Raine had to say and sat in an adjacent chair, close to his beautiful, strong wife. She was the reason that they had not become void of humanity just as the other mercenaries. He reached over and clasped her small hands in his larger ones._

//End Flashback//

The incident was considered non-existent by the mercenaries. Raine and Laguna were merely dead, and therefore harmless, traitors to them. His parents, who had trusted in each other, died together. Squall's parents died for subtly refusing orders – to kill civilians. They had not openly disobeyed Ultimecia, they merely covered any evidence that they had not killed anyone. Their mistake was being good parents. 

They told their children of the evils of Garden, how they survived through pretense of compliance. Raine and Laguna never expected such an outcome for their caring.

Ellone betrayed them – she had been closer to the Sorceress than her parents. She turned her own parents in. It was considered the ultimate crime and 'rewarded' by days of torture. He remembered SeeD had taken him to see his parents – chained, kept only feet apart from each other – torture in itself. They were not allowed solace in each other's company. Laguna's arms were sore as he continually strained against his bondage to touch his wife's fingertips.

Squall shuddered, from the bitter chill of the winter wind or from the emotional scars, he knew not. The fateful events continued to play within his mind as the uneasy silence wrapped around him once more.

//Flashback//

_His mother looked at him with the same kind eyes he had always known, despite the open wounds, bruises, and dried blood on her face. "Squall," she croaked, as her throat had been deprived of water for several days. "We love you." She coughed for several minutes, trying to regain energy to speak. Words were an effort. "Don't make the same mistake we did . . ." she whispered. _

_Ultimecia smirked in satisfaction. Finally, the imbecile had learned._

_The wickedly powerful sorceress didn't realize Raine was referring to a different mistake – not having enough courage to leave, to live in exile as they were hunted. But they would be free from the constraints of the sorceress, free to live the 'normal' life they tried so hard to portray to their kids, and free to just live.  _

_Laguna smiled with a split lip at his clever wife and watched his young son with his good eye. "Son, I want you to know, we're proud of you. Don't worry about us – just . . ." he coughed, spitting up blood from his internal wounds. He raised his head after a few minutes when he managed enough strength. "Just . . . live a better life."_

_Squall could not maintain the ordered silence, as he saw the battered figures he knew to be his parents. He could not leave them to their death. He needed them, just as much as he had ever needed anyone. Squall thought his misbehavior towards his mother had caused this. "Mom! Dad! Don't leave me!" Pools of water formed in the young boy's gray-blue eyes. Ultimecia immediately motioned to the SeeD next to Squall to force him into compliance. _

_The SeeD gave a brutal, sharp kick to Squall, causing him to fall on his knees._

_"No! Please don't hurt him!" cried his parents. "Isn't watching us in this state punishment enough?" Laguna strained against the chain and wished he could touch his son one last time or to hear Squall say "whatever," or to hold his son while he cried – the things the civilian fathers were allowed to do._

_He was denied all of this by the cold metal cutting sharply into his wrists._

_Ultimecia snorted a laugh. "There is never enough punishment, especially for traitors" stated the sorceress with a cold and voice devoid of emotion. Her flaming red eyes watched the heartbreaking scene with delight. She took shameful pleasure in _

_The SeeD dragged Squall by his arms from the room as the boy struggled to help his parents._

_"Please Ultimecia! I'll behave better! I'll do anything . . . just don't" Squall didn't restrain the gush of tears falling down his cheek, creating a small trail of tears on the floor - a similar path of liquid that would cruelly parallel the blood trails created by his parents' dead bodies days later as they were dragged to be buried in unmarked graves._

_Raine__ bitter-sweetly smiled. It was the first time she had seen Squall show such vivid emotions. She forcefully bit her lip in an effort not to cry. "Stay strong Squall. We'll always be watching over you."_

_The SeeD, getting tired of the struggling knocked Squall unconscious with a blow to the back of the head. Days later, Squall would learn that his parents had died and Ellone had been rewarded, but he didn't know for what reason. He would realize years later, she had been promoted based upon the death of her parents. She used her own parents as the stepping blocks for a damn career boost._

_Squall saw the satisfied smile on Ellone's face as she was announced as the Sorceress's heir for her 'heroic' deed. He hated her, but not as much as he hated himself. Squall had not being able to protect his parents._

//End Flashback//

A lone tear formed in his eye, but he would not let it escape the confines of his eyes. Shaking the memories Squall focused upon his surroundings, seeing Rinoa just enter her bedroom and falling upon the bed. Snow drifted in the wind, caressing Squall and landing upon the roofs of already white covered houses. However, he paid no attention to the nature wintry scene of beauty and peace. Nature had the best facades and could be a bitch at times, mocking him in his pain. His angelic vision was inside the house in front of his position.

Squall shifted his gaze as the darkness fell, adjusting to the night. His grey-blue eyes could see everything – as if it was day. Night vision was granted through genetic alteration undergone as a mercenary, as well as increased senses, agility, speed, strength and intelligence. Only the alterations of a few genes caused the difference in the otherwise human mercenaries.

Rinoa hugged herself, throwing off the grayish-white fur lined cloak. She collapsed on her soft bed, a weeping bundle. _I'm destined to be alone, to be the outcast no matter where I am. I can't escape who I am . . . what I've done. _

Squall could only watch her from afar – admiring and feeling a distant and rekindled ache in his heart. 

He had remained an orphan after the death of his parents, struggling to survive the training, the taunts of fellow trainees. It was part of the reason he became the 'lone wolf' in the academy. The other being the difference he knew existed between him and the rest of Garden. He had kept his conscience through the brainwashing. Images of his tortured parents kept him painfully aware of the true nature of the mercenary academy. 

Gardens were created to conquer the world. There was a tentative truce among the Gardens while fighting the civilians. However, during times of 'peace' in the world, civil war would break out as one or two Gardens would challenge the dominant garden – which had been Balamb Garden for quite some time.

A burly white and very unhappy dog trudged through the door. Squall could barely identify the thing as Angelo, as he could only see the eyes of the poor snow covered dog with the matching flower in his mouth.

Apparently Rinoa couldn't recognize Angelo either. "Angelo? Is that you?" She questioned, looking up from her tears.

A whimper was her answer as the dog still held the rose in his mouth. The look in his eyes begged her to take the flower so he could finally shake himself free of the unwanted white 'cloak.'

Rinoa gasped in surprise. Where had Angelo found such a flower as the Snow Rose? Plucking the delicate, fresh flower from her pet, she glanced at the tip of the stem. It had been cut cleanly – something Angelo would have never been able to do. 

_Squall._ The answer slipped into her thoughts. Taking the extraordinary specimen of rose gently she hugged it and kissed the soft, feathery petals. _Thank you, thank you Squall. Smiling she set the flower on the dresser next to her bed and turned off the light. An silvery glow radiated from the gift – eternal light until winter faded into spring. _

The pure white, blue tipped rose would last until spring – withering away as it heralded the coming of the true spring. Crystalline drops of water decorated the unique flower. It was a truly magical and special gift.

Squall continued to spy upon the girl, watching over her until she fell asleep. She was a vision to behold, falling peacefully asleep, mocking the tempest forming outside of her window. Squall finally noticed the storm, stinging his cheek with bits of flurried ice. _Sleep well, Winter Rose. . . Shards of emotion colored the eyes of the normally very reserved man as he drank in the sight of a delicate soul resting in her dreams. Wistfully, he hoped she was dreaming of him. __Such thoughts aren't very becoming of me . . . He chided himself – feeling for the first time in his life that his existence wasn't pointless, meaningless. _

Through the layers of snow and darkened light Squall memorized Rinoa's feminine features. Secretly and even hidden to Squall's consciousness, he dared to wonder how Rinoa's arms would feel around him as she slept in his arms.

When he ingrained a picture of her into his mind, he left, sweeping his thick but battered cloak behind him and the hood on his head, unnoticed by the world as he became camouflaged with the darkness. Squall left to find a place to rest for the night. Doubt of her never plagued his mind once. Squall stayed true to his instincts of her – not the instincts of his warrior nature . . . but of his heart. He would not fail to protect the ones he cared for again. 

He believed in her, even though she had never asked him to.


	7. Warming Up to the Winter

Author's Note: It seems as the opinions are swaying towards a no Quistis/Seifer pairing. This should make things interesting =), and I'll focus more on the Rinoa/Squall aspect in this story. 

To Exhile87: Rinoa a summoner . . . heh, not quite =)

To FFgal: Thanks for the compliments and the imput, which I have taken into consideration in shaping this fic.

To Light_of_the_Moon: Beautiful name =)

To Sandra Leonhart: Within the next couple of chapters, I hope to explain Rinoa's past, I'm just postponing because I think the last chapter (of Squall's past) bored readers a bit. So, I'm back to the Squall/Rinoa scenes and developing the plot.

Black raven hair flew in the wind as a frantic girl ran into the forest, in the opposite direction of the village. She thought of the irony as she remembered running last night from Squall. Now she ran to him. Necessity drove her light steps as she tried to find where he would be. She dared not call his name as she felt as if she could twirl in circles from the fierce and pushing winds.

Midway into the cover of trees that edged out most of the light seeping through, Rinoa stopped. _I shouldn't . . . but I need to._ Arguing with herself, Rinoa finally decided necessity prevailed over caution and personal fears. _For you, Squall. Drawing upon the terrifying powers within her small frame, Rinoa sensed for the auras around her. Closing her eyes, she clasped the ring that bound themselves to her on a strong, simple silver chain – the last reminder of her parents. _Bring me strength_. _

In just mere seconds, time stopped, seasons paused for the siren-beautiful girl as she delved within herself for the answer. Sensing her surroundings she felt the aura of nature, of the people within her town – who had gathered into a mob, and then she sensed _him. Snapping out of the self-induced trance, Rinoa ran in the direction her soul seemed to drive her. "_At least my powers aren't all destructive," _Rinoa thought bitterly and ignored her self-hatred for the moment. She continued to run for many minutes, thinking only of the need and not of the cost._

Her light black boots were not meant for the water and snow that found its way in between the spaces of the shoes. Numbing cold began to fill her frame as she continued to run. _Come on Rinoa . . . you can do this . . . it's only a little jog_. Breathing was difficult as every time she reached for air, flurries of snowflakes and snow filled her mouth as well. A storm was coming. 

Branches and twigs bent out of the way as the girl crashed through their weak clutches, scratching her hand. One particularly tall branch scraped a thin red line on her face. Ignoring the pain, she tripped and fell to the ground in front of black military boots. Trailing her eyes upwards, she made out the outline of Lionheart and a black cloaked figure.

Exhausted, Rinoa struggled for breath, and attempted to get up. "Squall!" she whispered fiercely. "You're in danger." Finally pushing the snow off herself, Rinoa stood up, attempting to catch her breath, which was coming in short huffs. She spit out the unwanted acquired water from the snow.

Squall had heard the commotion through the trees, as Rinoa was untrained in the art of stealth. How she had found him was beyond him though. He lifted an eyebrow. "I've heard of stalking . . . but this is becoming an obsession of yours," he said with amusement in his voice.

A blush crept across her normally pale complexion and brown eyes bore into the snow as if to escape accusations. She used the time to catch her breath and propped herself up against a conveniently close barren tree. "The people . . . civilians," she panted.

Squall saw the cuts, her tiredness and raised a hand up for her to stop, as well as dropping his playful tone – as playful as he could manage anyways. "Take your time," he ordered with the husky voice that caused Rinoa's heart to beat faster. 

"No!" she argued with urgency. "There isn't any time. They're coming," she coughed and ancient memories surfaced to Squall's consciousness with Rinoa's struggle for breath. Blue-gray eyes glazed over in the haze of haunted memories but interrupted his persistent, perturbing thoughts.

He narrowed his eyes and followed her suggested gaze with her eyes.

"Quistis! She didn't return last night. There was this note. Seifer." Rinoa could barely make out the words. She had overused her stamina and the effects were showing as she became faint. She took a deep breath. "Some guy named Seifer kidnapped Quistis. He's holding her hostage until they turn YOU in. They think you're still a dangerous mercenary. They're coming for us, please take me with you," she rushed while whispering the last words, finally getting the important part of her message across to Squall. Her hand stumbled upon Squall's chest as she fell forwards. "Sorry, too . . . tired," she said and fainted.

Squall caught her gently and gracefully as per his training in speed and agility. He rolled his eyes at his predicament and sighed. It was as if she planned this. Squall, without any real strain or effort swept Rinoa off her feet, literally and carried her away from the town. He had spied the gathering of the troops in his usual early morning patrol as the sun peeked over the mountains. He hadn't realized it was for him.

Squall thought to himself as he hurried along, silently. _Seifer?__ Was that the guy who defied authority and the show off? Hm . . . perhaps this is his test for being a worthy knight. Ultimecia certainly needs one especially now since I, her potential knight, is gone. He looked down to the sleeping figure in his arm as he hugged her close – to shield her from the cold he convinced himself. He allowed himself a very small smile. __Seems like Fate is being kind to me this once.__ Years ago I imagined, just yesterday I dreamed, today I live what was once a fantasy – the chance to protect again. Squall denied the thoughts that he had longed to hold this girl in his arms, to feel her warmth, her trust in him. After hours of trudging in the ever increasing storm, Squall found a cave many miles. Seeking the shelter, he gently put the girl down, who awoke._

"Squall?" she asked weakly, searching his eyes for some clue to their location or recent events.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you didn't plan this – me carrying you in my arms and being alone with me."

Rinoa blushed and crept closer to the wall. "I . . ." she began; trying to find some explanation for what was truly an accident. "Wait, did you say I was in your arms?" becoming engrossed in what she had daydreamed about since she had met the mysterious man.

Squall's mouth twitched in what Rinoa could have sworn was the beginning of a smile. He didn't reply to her question, only announced, "I'll be back, getting firewood," he grunted. He left her with a few magic spells and after confirming she could indeed use them against anyone for a short while.

Rinoa hugged her knees in the bitter cold, trying to conserve as much body heat as she could. Brown terrified eyes peeked out every once in a while, checking for Squall. Her life doubts, guilt plagued her with the quiet. Silence was not a blessing, not for those who knew little joy, lived in continual misery – no, silence could lead to insanity. Whoever said it needed to be shot and severely tortured with their demons. Perhaps it was what she deserved, to be trapped within her own mind, delusion being the only escape. Caught up in her thoughts, she closed her eyes. Then she felt the presence – the only aura that continually freed her, at least temporarily, from her mental prison.

"Hi Squall," she whispered without looking up, still tucking her head in a curled position.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, surprised enough to ask a question.

Rinoa looked up, smiling in an attempt to fool him and perhaps herself into believing nothing was bothering her, and met the familiar wintry ice blue gaze. "Maybe it's because I know you so well. Maybe it's because we're soul mates." She knew that answer would cause a rise out of the normally stoic man, distracting him and causing him to forget his original inquiry.

Squall made a sound in between a cough and a huff. The very slightest hint of a smile was betrayed by the edge of his lips twitching upwards – as if he was trying not to laugh. He knew how to provoke her as well, and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?" Squall allowed his lips to show a small bit of amusement.

Rinoa merely nodded at Squall's flirting, her thoughts drifting back to those of earlier.

Squall sensed her mood, and judging by a look Rinoa wore, that he knew all too well, he concluded she was troubled, terrified. "What's . . . wrong?" The genuine concern caused both of the two lonely figures in the cave to pause, considering the meaning of the newfound change in Squall.

Rinoa smiled gently at Squall. "You care . . ." It was a statement and not an uncertainty posed by most around the ex-mercenary. 

_You don't know how much . . . _"You goin' to tell me?" He asked, pretending to sound a little impatient with her. He had to keep up his reputation after all. Squall leaned against the side of the stone wall, blending in with the shadows. He dropped the bundle of sticks he had brought for the fire and took off his cloak, tossing it in Rinoa's direction. 

"It's too hot in here," Squall said in an attempt to explain his previous actions, despite the blizzard outside with the howling wind. 

Rinoa laughed and didn't even bother making a sarcastic remark. The suddenly uncomfortable Squall pretended to find interest in the handle of Lionheart.

He didn't want her knowing the depth of his feelings for her – the figure curled up into a tiny ball in the corner. She looked so delicate, fragile as she tenderly and slowly tried to put on what promised to be warmth. Her hands were shaking too much, preventing any feats of dexterity she might have possessed before. Squall knelt down beside her, placing his cloak around Rinoa, and slowly fastening the front. Both of them looked at Squall's hands that were so close to Rinoa. It was another unfamiliar, yet not unwelcome, awkward position. Unnerved by the contact Squall pulled slightly away, not far enough to suggest his dislike of the closeness, but only enough to suggest his shyness and unfamiliarity of the human touch.

He released his grip after completing the original task. Rinoa met Squall's unwavering stare. Brown eyes met blue ones. In a weak voice that begged for protection, Rinoa replied, "Squall, I'm scared."

Reflexes urged the gunblader to tell her 'whatever,' or 'what do I care.' His developing feelings of trust in this girl interrupted years of instinct. His deep, smooth voice obeyed the final command, "Of what?"

Not breaking the contact of their eyes, Rinoa shifted uncomfortably. In a haunting voice just above a whisper, so full of heartbreaking honesty – there was no opportunity for argument, for denial, for comfort, "of myself . . ."


	8. Rinoa's Secret

Author's Note: Would you guys prefer I write responses to your questions at the beginning or the end of the chapter? With that said, I'm going to write it at the beginning unless you guys want it otherwise. Sorry for the slow posting, lots of schoolwork as always. And yes! Lol, this is the Rinoa's Secret chapter that you guys have all been dying for. Hope it meets your expectations and more =) Anyone want to guess where Selphie, Zell and Irvine come in on all of this? =P

Dedication: KinofDragons. Lol, you were the reason I actually got working on this chapter. (They e-mailed me asking when the next chapter was coming out, so I began to write . . .  lol, and here it is!)

Light_of_the_Moon: Yeah, lol, I always imagined Squall to be the charming sarcastic bastard with irresistible charm in his mysteriousness. =P

DarkRaion: I wonder if you've guessed what happens…

Mariko: Towards the beginning of last chapter is the answer to your question. Rinoa is running b/c she wants to warn Squall that the villagers are after him (due to the kidnapping of Quistis and the Seifer's demand that he will only return her with the capture of the outlaw, Squall)

FFgal: Thanks for the consistency in reviews.

FloralBlackMoon: Thank you. *Humbly bows* I try =)

Keiry: I'm honored =)

Optical Goddess: Lol.

Jason: Thanks for pushing me to write this chapter. Be expecting a confrontation with Squall and Seifer soon. Hopefully I can have more time to write and we'll see what happens to Squall, Rinoa, Seifer, and Quistis. 

Vindemon64 and Angelprinczess29 and Sandra Leonhart: Thanks for the reviews =)

**_Chapter 8 – Rinoa's Secret_**

Squall stood shocked and rooted to the floor of the cave. How could someone like Rinoa be scared of herself. Hell, he was scared of himself sometimes, but he was a mercenary, a bred killer. Confused blue eyes met terrified brown ones. Squall narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself but remained still close to Rinoa. It was his symbol of support.

Rinoa was scared of the rejection she knew would come. Instead of normally shying away from his stare, she matched it. She needed strength to tell him and cowardice would have to hide in shadows for the moment. She clutched at her ring and began to whisper in a tone of voice that would unnerve Squall's very soul. "Remember when I told you I was the reason I am an orphan?"

Probing eyes encouraged her to continue. 

"Heh," she coughed nervously from the cold of the weather, but mostly from the chill in her heart. "You must understand I had no choice. No choice! I wish they would have taken my own life instead of theirs." The numbness Rinoa felt allowed her to pretend she felt nothing, no pain or sorrow that would cause her to weep once more. "My parents . . . they refused to help the mercenaries, saying they didn't know where the sorceress was –" she began to rant.

Squall began to remember the history lesson. Sorceress Edea lived in Deling, peacefully, or as he'd like to think, they could never attach any crimes to her. She must have been more dangerous than the rest. 

Edea had been hiding her powers, he recalled, hiding and seemingly ashamed of the fact she was touched with Hyne's power. She was one of the people the mercenaries, his instructors and comrades could never understand. Sorceress Adel had found out another sorceress existed, this one without any mercenaries at her command – in other words, weak, and waiting to be killed. Adel craved power and killing another sorceress would give her that. She had sent her troops into Deling to find the Sorceress and bring Edea to her while killing everyone in sight and burning down the city. It was a rebellious civilian town and would be tolerated no longer.

"Squall?" Rinoa timidly asked. His cloudy gaze received from his 'daydream' cleared to a crystal blue, intently focused on Rinoa. "You look a bit distracted . . . should I stop?" She had noticed his distaste and aversion to anything about Sorceresses. She was very nervous to say the least. Her white palms were sweaty and sore from grasping her mother's ring so tightly. One hand shifted to her pocket, unnoticed by Squall. She gently ran her fingers across soft petals of the Winter Rose she had managed to grab before running away.

Squall shook his head and his gaze continued to evaluate her.

Rinoa shivered from the intensity and the pressure. "Did you know that . . ." she paused, "Sorceress Edea died that day?"

Squall's head tilted ever so slightly to the side. "No . . ." he paused, indicating for her to continue. _She hadn't died? Why didn't they tell us? Did Adel kill her and receive the powers? Thoughts raced through his head, and caused him to mentally yell at himself. His pondering was giving him a terrible headache._

"One of Adel's SeeD's accidentally wounded Edea and -" Rinoa relaxed slightly, but was jolted out of her small comfort by Squall's blunt interruption.

Squall's patience snapped. "Ok, whatever. Adel received Edea's power. I don't understand why you're telling me this history. What does this have to do with you?"

Rinoa slightly winced from his harsh tone. Squall immediately felt guilty but pride and confusion prevented his apologies. ". . . Edea managed to flee because she knew of Adel's purpose Squall. She didn't want an obviously corrupted person to gain more power. Do you believe there are good sorceresses Squall?" Rinoa interjected in her history lesson. She needed to know – the ache, the pain, it had to have been worth something. _Please, please say yes._

Lonely brown eyes pleaded with shielded icy eyes. She knew the answer before he even uttered a word or made any gesture and her heart wrenched in sorrow. _I should have expected no less. _ And for the second time in her life of hardship, Rinoa felt heartbreakingly alone.

"No," he said forcefully, and Squall became suspicious, yet naive. He wanted to deny the seed of thought that was threatening to grow at further suggestions.

This was where the story became difficult. This was where history had not been written. No one alive knew except for two souls, and now there would be three. "I found her Squall, dying in an alleyway, barely managing to avoid the SeeD's that were patrolling the streets, frantically searching for her." Rinoa wrung her hands in desperation.

Squall's eyes widened in surprise. He had not expected this. _This means . . .NO! She can't be!_ Coldness replaced warmth in Squall's body language, and most importantly in his wintry blue eyes.

Rinoa recognized Squall's expression. He was no different. Quistis was right. 

She was bitterly alone.

Anger surged through her body; it served as her defense mechanism against hatred. "Yes Squall! I'm a sorceress! I never asked to be one! What are you going to do now all mighty mercenary! Scared Squall?! You should be!" Rinoa began her tirade, the all too familiar and resented power coursed through her veins.

"Edea gave me her powers! My parents saw the whole thing but couldn't stop me. When we were cornered a few minutes later by the mercenaries they hid me!" Tears flowed down pale cheeks despite the desires of their owner. "They killed my parents because they claimed they didn't know where the sorceress was! And it was entirely my fault! I hid in the corner like a little coward! They gave their lives for what?! Nothing! I'm just some pathetic existence that Sorceresses want to kill and civilians would love to be rid of!"

Rinoa stood up defiantly, angrily. She could hate him too. "Are you happy Squall?! Too shocked for words?! That's the big secret! Why don't you run Lionheart through my heart! You know you want too. I've seen you talk about Sorceresses and I know you want revenge. Well here I am! Kill me! I'm the evil Sorceress!" 

She threw her hands widely to the side, exposing vital parts of her body, easy for a trained warrior to kill. Rinoa tempted his darker, hidden character, and she reveled in it. The moment she had lost everything that had any meaning to her, her morbid wishes rose from the subconscious of her mind into the conscious. She wanted to die and she wanted Squall to be the instrument of her death.

Squall thrust himself up from the floor. The shade of his eyes became gray, distant and icy. He was furious with her. "Shut up!" He yelled at her. Squall shoved her small frame against the wall of the cave and a strong gloved arm kept her pinned. _She's gone insane.  Kill her?!_ Contradicting voices gave their opinions to Squall. _You know she's right. She's one of them – the Sorceresses. She killed your parents. She's responsible for their deaths. Closing his eyes, the troubled and terribly confused man managed to clear his head for the moment. _

"I need to think!" he growled at partly at himself but also at Rinoa, who was still pinned and currently glaring at him.

Fuming from her position on the wall, Rinoa could not longer keep her raging emotions in control. She felt the change coming and was initially horrified that Squall would see. He would see her as a freak, a monster. And then she was glad. He would push her away and in doing so . . . would save his life.

Squall took in deep breaths, inhaling the cold winter chill. The storm was raging outside, and for once he was thankful. No sane person would be tracking him for the time being. He was confused. He knew the life of an outcast, he knew of her pain, but she was a Sorceress. She couldn't be trusted, could she? Did the power control the person or the person control the power? Would she become corrupt? Would she . . . "Damn it!" Squall slammed his free fist onto the side of the cave, very close to Rinoa's figure.

He was too preoccupied to notice her current condition.

"Ahh!" Rinoa cried in pain as her head slumped forward and white, angelic wings began to sprout from her back. The transformation was beginning.

Squall, stunned for the countless time in that day stood back as large feathery wings formed from Rinoa's shoulder blades. _What the?_

The sheer force and length of her soft wings threw Squall off guard and he flew a few feet from Rinoa. _No . . . I can't think of her as Rinoa. She's a Sorceress! That's all she is! Squall battled within himself for the morals he knew he possessed._

Rinoa, a few feet from the ground, decided to push his limits. She had chosen him as the one who would end her life, end her suffering. The raven haired woman was tired of being stereotyped, tired of being hated and in her suffering she chose the cowardly way out. "And you want to know the best part Squall?" She whispered in a voice filled with hatred, sorrow and resentment.

The ex-mercenary dared to meet the deceivingly calm Sorceress's gaze.

Rinoa narrowed her eyes and taunted him. "I wanted her powers."


	9. Judgment and 'Execution'

Author's Note: You better love me! Lol . . . I wrote this despite the suggestion of being torched by some of my other story (_Emerald Dragon)_'s fans if I didn't update their story soon. This chapter is a bit of a break from dramatic cliffhangers . . . hopefully this will satisfy you guys for a little while.

To Angel of the Lion: Thanks for the help/reviews/comments.

To light_of_the_moon: I'm sorry if it bothered you that Squall seemed to ignore the fact that he trusted Rinoa before he discovered she was a Sorceress. He didn't ignore it though. In fact, he was battling years of brainwashing (that Sorceress's are power hungry and everyone is supposed to serve them) with the feelings in his heart. This chapter should explain things more thoroughly.

**_Chapter 9 – Judgment and Execution_**

It was a lie of course. But she needed him to believe it. Rinoa needed to play upon his emotions, to trigger the rage, the dark warrior that lie in shadow even now in his heart.

His eyes widened in momentary surprise at her 'confession', and then resumed their normally guarded stance. Squall had enough time to weigh his feelings, instincts, memories, and his common sense against each other. He had reached a conclusion. And two words, normally resulting in heartbreak, in pain, and in loss, freed him from the prison of his mind.

"You're lying." Squall's steadfast gaze penetrated Rinoa's defenses, any self-pity, and any anger she held. 

Her morbid desires slowly drained away, as did her energy. She realized in his pronouncement there escaped any possibility for argument. He knew the truth. Rinoa recalled her power and it ebbed slowly back into the recesses of her body, for the moment. Angel wings folded neatly in and disappeared, waiting for its herald to call upon them once more.

Squall eyed her; he was weary of the games that had been played upon him, weary of the surprises. Upon the newly discovered secret, Squall _felt_ that his heart was right. Rinoa was still the same person, regardless of being one of _them. __No, she's not one of them. She's Rinoa and she merely shares the same power they did. Not by her own choice, but by Fate._

Rinoa had lost her battle to summon the dark demons within Squall. She slumped against the wall and slid down onto the floor and began to cry softly, trying to muffle the sounds. She curled into a ball, feeling more protected and more alone. Perfectly formed drops of tears fell onto the ground as she turned away from him.

Squall stood standing, studying the girl before him, just watching her cry. He let a long sigh. Just because he refused to kill her didn't mean he could simply disregard everything she had told him. But he would ignore reality for a short while . . . for her and so he disappeared into the shadows.

Rinoa sobbed quietly in the corner. Why wouldn't fate be kind to her for once? She had sacrificed the little normalcy of her life for the eternal peace of a dying Sorceress. When Rinoa heard no noise emanating within the cave, she assumed her suspicions were right. Squall had deserted her. The bastard. She pulled out the Winter Rose still in her pocket. The little light from the cave shone upon it, and it emitted a soft silvery glow. It was his present, and she would disregard it as he had disregarded her friendship, her worth as a person.

She threw it harshly into the air, towards the entrance where, if she was lucky, it would be swept away with the storm. Rinoa watched the rose, fascinated as it slowly spun through the air, and never fell to the floor. She gasped as it was swiftly snatched from its flight into gloved hands. Her eyes rose from the floor towards his face.

Amusement was written upon his face. She saw the handsome, rugged face with tousled brown hair that could only belong to him.

Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' but she did not speak. Her amazement at his presence, at his very existence enraptured her. Tears still flowed from her eyes, but they were no longer testaments to her sadness, but to her hope and relief.

His lips formed a small wry smile. "Remind me not to give you anything expensive."

His name flowed from her soul to the tip of her tongue, but still she dared not utter it for if it escaped her lips she feared her only hope would escape with it.

Squall purposefully allowed his boots to utter a '_crunch' against the cold floor. He stood a step nearer to Rinoa and took another, shamefully reveling in the fact that she _needed_ him. She needed __him._

The perfect innocence that he believed defined Rinoa returned to her as she gave him a small, tearful smile.

Her hope would not leave, and she knew it as he stood in front of her. "Squall," she whispered tearfully. "Squall . . ." and she began to sob again, relief flooding through her. After all her worrying, all the rejection, she had found her role, her purpose. She existed solely for him, as he did for her.

Squall took the last step that separated him from the beautiful girl that was as innocent as the day they met. He knelt down to her. "Hey . . ." he said softly as she turned towards him. "Don't cry . . ." He hoped his presence was soothing enough for her, as contact was not his best subject of expertise. He didn't know how to comfort her.

"Here, I'm guessing you'd like this back," Squall offered the white rose with frosted silvery-blue edges. 

He was beginning to get nervous as she said nothing and didn't even glance at the rose. What was he doing wrong?

"Oh Squall," she cried as she flung her arms around him and let her tears run their last course. "You dummy . . . I only want you," she dared to whisper; she clung onto him, as a child holds on to the parent they had previously lost.

A faint warming sensation filled Squall's cheeks and he recognized it to be a blush. He awkwardly patted her back, allowing her this moment of comfort.

Squall pulled away from her finally, coughing and trying to rid the pink staining his cheeks. The storm had cleared as he turned around. Only light trickles of snow fell.

"Let's go," he ordered gruffly, but he knew Rinoa realized his command was well-intentioned.

Rinoa lifted herself off the ground and dusted her self unceremoniously. The floor had been incredibly dirty and cold. She looked at the rose he was still holding. "I know I said I only want you . . . but I don't mind flowers either."

Squall tossed her the rose, turned to the entrance and motioned for Rinoa to follow. He turned around to make sure she was complying. "I knew you wanted that damn flower," he added with his back turned to her. 

Rinoa smiled. "Of course. It was from you."

"Stay close to me at all times," he growled, trying half-heartedly to inspire a little fear within her but more to change the subject. All cadets he had trained had been afraid of him. Fear inspired respect, and a well-respected mercenary had an immense amount of control over his troops.

She let out a tinkling laugh. "You couldn't scare me if you tried Squall."

_So much for inspiring fear_.

Squall cast an annoyed look at Rinoa, who looked to him the image of perfection. His eyes lingered a second too long on her face and Rinoa raised a curious eyebrow at him. Squall hastily returned his gaze to the front after grabbing Rinoa's hand to ensure compliance. _Yeah, that's all this is. To ensure she stays close to me. A warm tingling sensation crept up his arm and the thought of holding her in his arms teased his mind._

The two crept out of their hiding place and headed towards the nearest town, which was a good distance away. Squall glanced behind him again to inspect the surroundings. A soft, feminine voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Squall, were you . . . blushing?"

He snorted and pulled her along. Rinoa laughed softly to herself. 


	10. Surpise

Chapter dedication: The_Angel_of_the_Lion: Thanks for beta-reading the chapter =)

****

**_Chapter 10 - Surprise_**

Emerald eyes glittered dangerously at the surroundings. The storm had long subsided, giving him the opportunity to track his target. Petals of snowflakes continued to decorate his trench coat. He had adamantly refused to wear anything over his beloved symbol of the cross the color of the blazing setting sun. Seifer could easily adapt to his environment – a trait indebted to his brute and animalistic nature. He was a child of hardships.

Growling at his frustrations, Seifer took out his anger on his current hostage. He yanked on the rope that bound her, causing Quistis to fall unceremoniously on her face. "Hurry up!" he barked at her.  Sympathy and guilt tinged at the corners of his consciousness as he knew he was the cause of the woman's distress and current state.  Useless feelings were hastily cast aside and he narrowed his eyes at her as he stood towering over the fallen figure.

Flaxen hair was matted with dirt, leaves, and other artifacts of the wilderness. Her clothes were decorated with dried red blood from her earlier injuries.  She groaned, but spoke no retort for fear her captor would punish her further.  She settled for glaring at the man she had decided she would hate.  Hate was such a simple feeling and he was certainly making it easy.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he saw the defiance in her jaded blue eyes.  She would have been just like him if she had been a mercenary.  Then remembering himself, he quickly turned back to the path he defined, pulling on the rope as if Quistis had been nothing more than a captured animal.  And most of the time, Seifer thought she was.  Her weakness and lack of judgment made her inferior to those with power, those with dominance and strength.  It was understood in the mercenary community – weakness caused your life to be forfeit.  It mimicked those of nature.  They were called cruel, heartless, and sometimes not even human.  But was it really cruelty that nature made the stronger the more powerful?  Or simply the way life was dictated?

***

And so she thought of him.  He was simplicity and complexity – a paradox that she knew she would probably never fully understand.  He lived with seemingly simple, yet noble ideals – to live without a subtle imprisonment, without a superior while fighting for others to have that basic right.  But Squall was also the most complicated person she had known.  He had been a mercenary but refused to kill senselessly as his job demanded.  She knew he craved affection but he shied away from any sign of emotions.

Rinoa squeezed Squall's hand softly.  She smiled to herself as Squall pretended not to notice but felt him involuntarily shiver from the unfamiliar touch.  Looking to her surroundings Rinoa could almost describe it as romantic – the fingertips of the sunset that waved its ethereal fingers among the crystal treetops, decorated with icicles that reflected the red-gold fires of light.  It was as if the entire area was lit by reflective glass candles.  The last spurts of warmth wrapped itself around the two figures as if saying a wistful goodbye with a promise of a next meeting.  Deceptively serene, the forest was without a sound.  In the stillness, Rinoa thought she understood the rushes of warmth she felt around Squall.  She understood her need to decipher Squall, why she needed to be with him, why she thought of running her hands through his precious brown locks, and why determination filled her when she thought of protecting him.  The curious feeling that tugged at her heart seemed to nag her now as she tried to put her emotion into words.  It was more than affection and Rinoa tagged it as a deep and meaningful friendship.  But was that a misnomer?

Squall continued trekking through the snow, ignoring the beautiful setting as his more practical thoughts of escape rationalized themselves in his mind.  He had felt Rinoa squeeze his hand gently and the involuntary shiver of comfort that had responded to her touch.  It seemed as if even his body was no longer his to control.  It yearned for the tantalizing touches she teased him with, her softness as she cuddled to him for protection, and the glances she gave him when she thought he could not see.  It was a disconcerting feeling, to want her but not to want the dependency her love would bring.  Or was love really a force that bound its victims?  And was it really love he was feeling for her or was it a mere closeness in seeking the redemption he needed for failing his parents?

Shaking his thoughts aside just as easily as he cast off the snow falling on him, Squall narrowed his frosty blue eyes and spotted a small clearing among the woods of winter.  "We'll stop here," he simply stated without turning around to face Rinoa.  He let go of her hand and swiftly headed towards setting up the camp.

"Don't worry about me!" Rinoa sarcastically retorted as she rolled her eyes.  Unsurprised but slightly miffed, Rinoa folded her arms and began to follow Squall when a steadfast grip tightened around her arms and a sharpened gunblade was held across her throat.  Rinoa gasped but did not utter any further cry as the blade came closer to her exposed flesh threateningly.

Luckily Squall had noticed Rinoa not following him and turned around.  His gloved hands reached for Lionheart as he saw a figure approaching her but he was too far to reach her first.  Still under a black cloak, Squall looked menacing and intimidated most people, but the one holding Rinoa was one of the few exceptions.  He stepped towards the blonde haired figure and unsheathed his blade.

"Let her go," Squall growled.  Fiery blue sapphire orbs met Seifer's green ones and he began to walk closer.

"Ah ah ah," Seifer clucked at Squall and wagged a finger.  "Feel free to test exactly how close you can come before she dies but don't say I didn't warn you."  Seifer sized up his opponent and target.  "So much for the great Squall Leonhart they talk about back in Balamb.  You're so pathetic now, emotional over . . . _this."  Seifer spat out his last word as he gripped Rinoa's throat with his right hand.  He lifted her off the ground with just a hold on her throat.  Rinoa attempted to pry his hands off to breathe again. "How could you ever consider living with scum?"  Seifer sneered.  "I can understand living alone and without orders, but with _them_?  You're a disgrace Leonhart.  And to think they said you were anti-social."_

Squall remained motionless but blue fire blazed in his eyes.  Anger and fear flowed like a steady stream through his veins.  He refused to let Rinoa be taken from the living as well.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"  Seifer paused with an evil glint in his eye as Squall continued to stare with hard eyes back at him.  "Not even goodbye?"  Seifer mocked and smirked as he saw fear mark the ex-mercenary.  Squall leapt with Leonhart in hand towards Rinoa who smiled softly at Squall.  She mouthed three words as their eyes met.  _Don't forget me . . ._

"NO!" Squall cried as he covered the last part of the distance, charging towards the pair even as he knew he would be too late.

Seifer slid the blade easily across Rinoa's soft skin.  Dark ruby blood spilled from the cut as Seifer released her.  She slumped to the ground and crimson liquid began to stain the crystal white snow.  Seifer laughed at the pain he saw within Squall.  Squall ran towards Seifer who entreated him with an open hand, beckoning him for a duel.

"How long do you think she'll last without a cure?"  Seifer taunted as he brought Hyperion in front of him.

Squall roared in anger.

"I'd guess thirty seconds at the most," Seifer sneered as a cruel smile lined his face.  "But what a mess she made on my blade," he said pointed to the liquid ruby staining it.

"Shut the fuck up," Squall growled and swung his gunblade downwards as Seifer met it with an upward counterattack.  Seifer quickly swiped at Squall's stomach, only to be blocked.  Squall's emotions hindered better judgment but his reflexes remained intact.  Squall thrust forward but was again thwarted.  Frustrated and angry, Squall managed to spin gracefully in a circle, arcing Lionheart up and then down, parrying to both sides of Seifer.  Sparks flew from both magnificently crafted weapons as their skills were almost equally matched.  Heavy 'tinks' and clashes between the weapons were the only sounds being made.  Squall finally managed to pin Seifer with a swift natural spin turn, quickly moving his blade diagonally and pointed at Seifer's throat.

"Care to say goodbye?"  Squall demanded as he pulled his blade back to make the final kill.

Seifer brought his hand forward in a spell and cast fire directly at Squall.  "Fira!" he shouted.  Squall flew backward into a rock and grunted with pain.  He managed to look up as Seifer brought Hyperion down in the middle of his forehead.  His flesh seared with pain and blood spattered the rock and Squall's marred face.  He grabbed his gunblade and in a last spurt of energy and effort sliced upward, creating a mirror image of his wound.  Seifer stumbled backwards, obviously not expecting the counter.  Seifer groaned before falling unconscious.

Squall crawled towards Rinoa, whose blood had pooled around her.  Eyes closed, knees underneath her body in a sitting position, she could have been mistaken for having been asleep if not for the telltale lines of curiously red and specks of silver blood staining everything around her.   In her small palm was the snow rose that she must have been holding as Seifer cut her throat.  Squall pulled her cold body to him, concentrating and hoping that she would be alright.  "Cura," he whispered as a hazy golden light spread from his arms to the tips of his fingers and into Rinoa.  

She remained unmoving as he slumped forward unconscious, shielding her body with his as he gave in to the dizziness.  The last thing Squall remembered was hoping that Hyne had heard his plea.

***

Groaning as a massive headache plagued him, Squall sat up and remembered the events of dusk.  He quickly moved off of Rinoa and felt for a pulse.  Fingers trembled as he slipped his glove off and his heart beat sporadically as he felt fear previously unknown to him.  She couldn't be dead.

He let out the breath he had been holding as he felt a faint pulse.  The cure spell had been in time.  Feeling his own forehead, Squall traced the still fresh cut and winced in pain.  "Cura," he stated with perfect concentration.  The soldier was a part of him still.  The wound closed and healed but he felt the outline of a scar.  It was unfortunate magic couldn't solve all problems.

Squall nudged Rinoa.  "Wake up," he urged her.  No response.  _She must still be weak.  Picking up his gunblade Squall stood on unsteady and numb legs and spotted the Seifer still unconscious.  Walking over to his enemy he kneeled down and with efficiency bound Seifer.  He couldn't kill him unarmed and defenseless, despite severely injuring Rinoa, but Squall could without a guilty conscious, leave Seifer there to find his way out of his binds.  Squall sighed and wondered if his freedom was worth being hunted and putting Rinoa in jeopardy._

Heading back to Rinoa he sheathed his blade and carefully hoisted her onto his back.  _She'll wake up soon._

Squall continued the long journey towards Trabia, the city where most of the prominent leaders of the anti-mercenary movement were located.  After the destruction of Trabia Garden by Gabaldia there were very few mercenaries left.  All of them headed towards other gardens in hopes of gaining employment.  Loyalties were temporary after all, especially if the employer was gone.  The sorceress heading the garden had been killed by the missiles and the female who she had given her powers to was currently unknown.  There was a small reward for the capture of the new sorceress but was not a priority.  She had been weak.

Light illuminated the forest and Squall spotted the end of it.  Trabia was about fifty more miles beyond a dry plain and through a mountainous region.  If Squall could find a chocobo the trip would be much shorter but unfortunately he had no greens to lure a chocobo.  Hours passed as the ex-mercenary continued to walk through the beginnings of the plains.  Rinoa had still not awakened and Squall found himself missing the sounds of her voice.

"Hey Rinoa . . . if you can hear me, it's Squall," he spoke softly to her.  "I'm taking us to Trabia where hopefully they can help us."  He coughed nervously.  "Listen to me, saying words like 'hopefully.'  I never thought I'd be the one to say that."  The monologue sounded pathetic to Squall but he felt freedom in telling her even the most basic things.  She was easy to talk to when awake, but as she lay unconscious she was even easier to talk to.  

"I wonder why you told me not to forget you . . . I mean how could you even think I'd ever forget you?" He sighed.  "I wish . . . I wish you'd wake up so I could just hear the sounds of your voice.  I'd give anything . . . even Lionheart to hear you again."  Squall spotted a small tree in the midst of the plains and walked over to it.  Sitting down, he gently brought Rinoa to the ground and propped her up against the tree as they faced the setting sun.

"You would have loved this view I think.  You were always one for beautiful things."  Squall studied his silent companion and brought one knee up to fold his arms upon.  He gently ran a gloved hand through a strand of silky black hair, mesmerized by its soft folds despite the weather.  "How can you be so fragile yet hold so much power?  You know, I . . ." Squall looked away, ashamed of himself "I wanted to kill you at one point that day in the cave.  I thought somehow you were responsible for the death of my parents, but then I realized it was misplaced anger."

He let his head roll back into the large trunk of the tree.

"I wonder if you can hear me.  You look so serene, just as if you were asleep.  But it's not sleep keeping you from me is it?"  Squall glanced over at Rinoa.  He let out a bitter laugh.  "Maybe you're disappointed with me . . . I failed the both of us today.  I made a promise a long time ago . . . to never fail protecting someone I lov-."  Squall faltered at the word, surprised at himself.  His voice dropped to a melancholy whisper as pain passed through the mental blocks he had erected.  "I couldn't save my parents.  I couldn't save you.  I don't deserve you, or anyone.  How can you stand failure?"  

He looked at her and away once more, unable to face even her sleeping figure.  "That's why I distanced myself – if I didn't care about anyone, I couldn't fail anyone. And it worked . . . for years.  I didn't mind the isolation, the pain of my memories, just as long as I wouldn't fail anyone else.  But then when I saw you, I just couldn't distance myself and to this day I don't understand why."  

He buried his head in his hands, not noticing Rinoa stirring from her sleep.  "I mean yes you're beautiful, even extremely so, but I've seen beautiful women before.  You are everything I thought I despised: innocent, social, talkative and carefree.  But ironically those were the very things that drew me to you."  

Rinoa listened intently, smiling weakly.  "And I know I tried to push you away, thinking that it would save you.  But now I can't help but be selfish and want you to stay with me.  I've never been so happy . . . wanting and dependent of someone in my life." He choked out a laugh.  "And I don't even know your last name or even if you feel the same way."

"Heartilly," Rinoa whispered as she raised a hand to Squall's face.  He looked up in wide-eye shock and fear as he realized she had heard every feeling, every word he had just uttered.

Rinoa let out a small laugh as Squall's mouth remained opened.  "You heard . . . you're awake?!"

She let out a wry smile.  "And the answer to the second part of your question . . ." She looked away as a raspberry blush stained her cheeks despite the severe amount of blood loss.  "Is yes."  She turned to face Squall as he still was in shock.  Rinoa closed his jaw and caressed his face, fingering the scar he had recently obtained.

Squall finally managed to register the things she had just told him and the fact she was awake.  His gladness overwhelmed him and he brought her to him, crushing her in a fierce yet gentle hug.  His gloved hands slid up and down the back of her head as he reveled in the joy that was Rinoa.

Rinoa tentatively wrapped her arms around Squall, feeling her pulse race.  After several seconds Squall pulled Rinoa in front of him.  "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and a little weak," she admitted. "And surprisingly not tired of you yet Mr. Leonhart," she teased him.

He mock growled and placed his hands along her ribcage, threatening to tickle her.  He raised an eyebrow at her.  "Surprisingly?!" he demanded.  His heart thumped against his chest in celebration of _her_.  He didn't care if he was out of character.  Squall wanted to enjoy her, to show her everything he had been feeling.

"Ok ok," she raised her hands in surrender.  "Just a little tired of you then."

Squall thrust his fingers along her ribcage, giving her no mercy as he tickled her.

She giggled and began laughing uncontrollably.  "OK OK! You win!  You're great company and I'm not surprised!"  Squall pulled his hands away.  Rinoa smirked.  "Just a little on the emotionally distant and cold side is all."

"What?!" Squall playfully growled.  In one swift movement he had her pinned to the ground with one of his arms holding both of her hands.  The other lay along her ribs, ready to tickle again.

"Well you are!"  Rinoa insisted despite her obvious disadvantageous position of bargaining.

Rinoa's eyes met Squall's and everything about their argument was forgotten.  Blue eyes pierced her own and she felt lost in eyes of the lone wolf.  They were both panting heavily and Rinoa wanted nothing more than Squall to kiss her.  His thoughts were lost in her and the gladness of the fact she was alive.  His body was his to control but he surprised himself by acting upon his desires.  Lowering his lips to hers, Squall tenderly kissed her.  Inexperienced only in practice, Squall knew Rinoa was made for him as he was for her.  Angelic white wings fluttered from behind Rinoa as her emotions were triggered by her desire for the strong and handsome man kissing her.  Their lips caressed each other in a sweet kiss and Squall finally managed to pull away, realizing his actions and the consequences if he didn't stop.  He was taking advantage of her weakened state.

Turning away, embarrassed and afraid that he had gone too far, Squall began to pull himself off of the beautiful woman beneath him.  

"I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to . . ." he began.  "_Idiot!_  You're violating her!_" Squall mentally berated himself._

Rinoa shook her head and pulled him down once more.  "I'll never ask anything else of you . . . just love me this once."

Squall met her eyes and knew he could do nothing but comply.  He wanted her too and realizing he had come so close to losing her caused him to take advantage of the moment.  He nodded his consent.  He met her lips and found his heaven once more.


	11. Frizzy the Mercenary

**_Chapter 11_**

Seifer growled as he crawled in worm-like fashion towards the spot he had left Quistis.  _Damn thing better help me.  He spotted her a few meters from him and hoped she was asleep.  He still had pride to maintain even if she was a civilian.  Seifer had never been in such a humiliating position in his life – blood dripping down his face, his beloved trench coat soiled and ripped in several places from crawling.  Luck was definitely not on his side, but then again he never needed luck._

Or so he thought.  Quistis wide awake began to laugh at Seifer who managed to reach her after several minutes.  She would have rolled on her side if she hadn't been tied to the tree.  "Oh Hyne!" She laughed heartily and snorted as Seifer gave her a very cold stare.  "Look who dragged . . . or should I say crawled himself in!"  After laughing for a couple more minutes she recomposed herself.  "Yes?  Did the big bad mercenary want something?"

Seifer grumbled something and Quistis couldn't hear it despite straining.  "What?  You're going to have to speak louder if you want me to hear you."

"I said get the rope the fuck off me!" He yelled at her from the ground.

She chuckled, apparently in a better mood since Seifer's humiliation.  "I don't see why I should.  I mean if I help untie you I'm just going to be treated like shit, dragged around like the hostage you're making me, and then killed at some point – fast if I'm lucky.  I think letting you die sounds a lot better."

"Or I could beat the crap out of you once I get out of these ropes, rape you, then kill you and leave your dead body off to rot somewhere," he sneered.

"That's a big **_if_** you get out of those ropes.  Someone got his ass kicked by Squall I see," Quistis smirked at him.  She glanced at his feet and saw him clasping Hyperion.  She wondered why he didn't use the blade to cut his bonds.  _He probably didn't think of it.  And mercenaries call US stupid._  As she was pondering Seifer noticed the direction of her gaze.  She quickly turned away but too late, as he had realized her confusion.

He smiled triumphantly.  "Yep, rape and brutal murder it is."  Sliding himself down to his blade he managed to free himself with a minor cut.  "Cure," he chanted and a blue light enveloped him, freeing him of his pain.  A mean sneer crossed his face as he looked at Quistis.  Pulling Hyperion in front of him, he waved it around menacingly to scare her.  Stopping his gunblade suddenly he held it for closer inspection.  Blood with flecks of silver.  It could only mean one thing.  Raising his eyes to Quistis's he growled.  "Someone has been keeping something from me," he said and grabbed her jaw forcefully.

***

She watched him, fascinated by even the slightest movement he made.  He didn't realize how beautiful he really was.  Rinoa clutched her jacket to herself, protecting her body from the frigid morning air.  She caught herself itching to trace his scar, not just the one on the bridge of his nose, but to find everyone on his body, fingering them in fascination.  She wanted to ease his pain, erase all of the scars that had been left behind to mark his life trials, even those upon his heart.

Rinoa closed her eyes, enjoying what peace could be found in the times of war.  And it was war – the mercenaries were planning to conquer the rest of the civilian towns.  She knew it without Squall telling her.  The signs were obvious: increased paranoia among the citizens, benign sorceresses being sought out for their power, crushing the resistance – it was all there.  She hoped to any higher power that Trabia would be enough to stop the impending destruction.  Rinoa was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't feel Squall stirring.  She jumped in surprise as his voice broke through the thick silence of the plains.

"I thought brooding was my department," he said with an amused hint of a smile playing upon his lips.

Rinoa put her hands on her hips, turned to him and cocked her head.  "Are you smiling Squall?" she asked, changing the subject.

He frowned and his expression turned stern.  "Whatever."

"Aw, come on Squall, you know I was only teasing right?" Rinoa pleaded with him.  Squall decided to become temporarily mute.  He raised an eyebrow at her, quickly dressing.  She moved to jab him in the ribs with a finger, hoping to tickle him and forcing him to laugh or smile.

Squall caught her hand and wagged a finger at her.

Rinoa glared.  "Meanie."

That was too much for Squall and he chuckled.  "I can see your years of schooling paid off."

Rinoa hit him lightly on the shoulder.  "Alright wise guy, let's go."

Squall stood up and stretched, unaware of Rinoa's eyes feasting upon the outlines of muscle.  He felt her gaze and turned to her with a bemused expression.  Rinoa blushed and began walking forward.  Squall pulled her back.  "Oh no you don't, you're walking right next to me this time."  In order to maintain his reputation for being unemotional, Squall added, "After all, I don't want another scar on my head."  He pointed to the visible outlines.

Rinoa snorted.  "I'm touched you're so concerned about my well-being."  She rolled her eyes at Squall who merely shrugged.

They began walking across the plains, a day or so from their destination.

***

A bruise was forming on the side of Quistis's cheek yet Seifer wasn't tiring.  She shook her head as the gag prevented her from shouting obscenities at her captor. Blood trailed from her split lip as she glared at the cruel-hearted mercenary.

"Half an hour ago your bravery would have impressed me . . . Now it's just becoming annoying," he growled at her pulling his hand back for another strike.  Quistis didn't flinch as he hit her again.  Pain shot up from the point of contact and she wasn't sure how much more she could take before becoming unconscious.  She groaned involuntarily.

"Hm," Seifer was in thought as he stroked his chin.  "There are alternate ways of getting you to talk, none of which I'm sure you'll like."

Quistis held her silence.  Stubbornness was one of her more infamous traits.  Even though she was jealous of Rinoa at points, and they hadn't always gotten along, she was loyal in the most important aspects.  She would not betray her foster sister, no matter the cost.  Her situation was looking grim and the cost for her loyalty was increasing.

Seifer smirked at her as he caressed her cheek very softly.  Quistis wanted to throw up as she tried to back away from his touch.  Her eyes widened at his implications.

Seifer laughed cruelly.  "So they are some things you're more afraid of than others."

He began unzipping her clothing, going very slowly to torture her.  "I'll stop when you tell me who Sorceress Rinoa inherited her powers from."

Seifer shed his trench coat and pulled off his shirt as he pressed his body to Quistis's.  He murmured in her ear.  "Otherwise I'm going to have a very good time with you."  He roughly kissed her ear to prove his point as he unclasped her bra and let it fall to the ground.

Quistis silently screamed.

***

"Why don't you use your powers more often?" Squall asked, curious.

Rinoa turned away as they walked side by side, the mountains becoming larger in size as they closed the distance towards their destination.  She had often asked herself this very same question.  "I'm afraid of not being able to control the dark nature of it, like the many sorceresses that are living today."

"How will you ever learn to control it if you never practice?"

"It's not just practicing Squall," Rinoa explained patiently.  "This kind of power must be balanced with the presence of an uninfluenced one, a knight."

"You're saying if you have a knight you would be able to control your powers?"

"I think so . . . that's what I've learned anyways."

"Use me then," Squall stated plainly.

Rinoa looked at him surprised.  Was this really the man who had despised all sorceresses, whose parents had been murdered by one?

He read the bewilderment in her eyes.  He spoke softly.  "It's alright.  I trust you."

She wanted to shed tears for the beauty of it all.  How did she ever become so lucky to earn his trust?  Rinoa was touched beyond words and nodded, untrusting of her voice.  "Alright.  Give me your hands," she commanded.  And like a faithful lover that returns unwaveringly night after night, Squall trusted her once more, not only with his hands, but with his heart.

***

Quistis refused to cry despite the fact she felt irreparably broken and dirty.  She would never be able to rid herself of the invisible slime she felt coated her body from the incident.  She was naked underneath the blanket Seifer had thrown over the both of them.  He still had an arm wrapped around her, enjoying her warmth while he slept unknowing and uncaring of her pain.  The bastard had mocked her earlier and she swore that if she ever escaped she would kill him.

She shuddered as she forced herself to relive the memories.

_"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Seifer mocked as his hand caressed her disgustingly softly._

_Quistis said nothing and refused to meet his gaze._

_"I haven't had that good of a lay **and **a virgin in a long time," he taunted._

_Hate blazed in her eyes and Quistis snapped her head towards him.  "Bastard," she spat._

_"Well, at least I believe you don't know now.  Aren't you happy about that?" he asked with a smug smile, quite satisfied with himself and the 'interrogation.'_

_"Thrilled," Quistis said sarcastically, making sure her body was as far away as possible from him._

_"Aw, it doesn't have to be like that," Seifer said, adopting a soothing voice.  He turned her chin towards him and pressed a harsh kiss to her lips, keeping her head from jerking away.  He laughed cruelly, falling asleep with an arm wrapped around her._

Quistis pulled herself out of her self-induced trance, shaking away the memories.  She wished he had left her to die a long time ago.

***

"OW!" yelled Squall, cradling his head.  He still felt like his body was sizzling from the shock.  It was the third time she had missed after all.

"Sorry!" Rinoa yelled apologetically.  She had missed her intended target, the fruit Squall was holding and had hit Squall instead with the thunder spell.

Squall walked over to her, giving her a weary eye.  "I think you got ripped off."

Rinoa cocked her head, giving him a questioning gaze.

"Aiming was supposed to be included," he joked.

Rinoa gasped indignantly and playfully hit him on the shoulder.  "My aim is just fine thank you very much."

He raised an eyebrow, putting one hand on his hip.  He pointed to his fried hair and the unscathed apple target.

"I thought you needed a new hair style." Rinoa giggled.

"You think this is funny?" Squall demanded.

"No . . ." Rinoa tried to hold in her laughter but miserably failed.  She fell on the ground, rolling with laughter.  "Maybe!"

Squall kneeled down to her.  "Yeah, next time you get to hold the apple and I get to cast the spells.  Then we'll see how funny you think the situation is."

Rinoa's smile switched to a more serious look.  "I'm sorry Squall," she said as he helped her up.  "Or should I say Frizzy," she laughed, pointing to his hair.  She took off running on the mountain trail.

Squall growled and started chasing her.  "You're in for it now!"

The two played this way for the rest of the afternoon.  He was bathing in the simple pleasures of life while she felt freedom from the troubles of the life she had known.  They were experiencing what their childhoods should have been.  Squall caught himself smiling more than once, something that was foreign and new to him while Rinoa seemed to thrive in the warm caresses of the sun.  She spun around to face him as he caught up.  He looked angry.

"I'm guessing you'd like a refund for the hair style?" Rinoa asked cautiously.  When Squall said nothing Rinoa continued nervously.  "I'm really sorry Squall I didn't mean to miss that many times.  I'll make it up to you . . . I think I can fix it with a water spell."  She closed her eyes to concentrate and placed her hands in front of her.  She conjured a large water bubble that was on top of his head.  She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Squall grab her wrists with his larger hands.

"I don't prefer the drowned rat look thanks," he said.  Just as he said that, she lost concentration and the bubble came crashing down on both of them, saturating their clothes to the core.

"Oops?" Rinoa said softly and chanced looking at Squall.  He looked angry.  She turned her gaze away from him, deciding to interest herself of the rocks upon the floor.

Rinoa looked nervous and Squall stared at her, studying her.  He tried to figure out what was it that captivated him.  A drop of water fell from her bangs onto the skin he knew to be velvet soft.  It followed her curves and Squall watched it, fascinated.  Rinoa began to fidget as she ground one foot into the floor of the dirt trail.  "Squall?" she asked confused, catching the direction of his stare.

He felt embarrassed and perverted.  "Sorry," he mumbled and released the grip upon her hands.  Squall turned away from her and started up the trail again when Rinoa pulled him back.

She smiled at him.  "It's ok."  Rinoa turned his face towards hers and gently kissed his lips.

Squall stiffened in surprise and unfamiliarity.  As she continued softly caressing his lips with hers, Squall responded.  He pulled her close, enjoying the comfort she brought him.  He parted his lips and felt Rinoa do the same.  He kissed her deeply and heard her moans of pleasure.  He pulled away breathless, knowing they needed to continue.  Squall motioned to the rest of the trail with an inclination of his head.  "We should go to Trabia first."

She nodded, mesmerized in his eyes and he gave her a small genuine smile.  He caressed her face with the pad of thumb through his glove and turned back to the trail.  When his back was to her Rinoa smiled and touched the spot on her cheek that Squall had just marked.

_"I think I'm falling in love with you Squall . . ."_

Unknown to Rinoa, Squall had heard her thoughts.  The fading light hid the smile that crossed the ex-mercenary's face.


	12. Lost

**_Chapter 12 - Lost_**

He lost himself.  Not to the passage of time or the usual abyss of solitude and despair.  _She_ had changed that.  He sat alone at the top of lonely hill watching the morning rays of the sun creeping, spreading over the quiet plains as he absorbed the tranquility of his surroundings.  Perhaps it would give him a clear mind as well.  The tall, willowy grass swayed gently as per its usual ritual trying to shake off the unwanted dew that had magically accumulated overnight.  Serenity claimed its territory across the landscape that seemed empty of life – most inhabitants were still asleep.  As was Rinoa.

Squall remembered well the first time he watched Rinoa sleep.  She was tucked away, safe in her house as the chills of winter howled and demanded in vain to be let in.  Now she lay comfortably under Squall's cloak a few feet from him.  He resisted the urge to just pull her into his arms, to never let her go, to make sure nothing would ever hurt her again – it just couldn't.  It would mean he _needed_ her.  His senses cried out for her touch, reeled for her warmth – it was as if _she_ was a requirement to breathe, to live and not merely exist.  He had existed for more than a decade and he had never even considered there could be something more, that he needed more than mere existence.  But now he had tasted life from her and wanted to _live_.

The ex-mercenary didn't want to be alone any longer.  However, there were risks in filling the emptiness of his soul and he wasn't a gambler.

Squall could _feel_ the peace within her, radiating from her aura.  Rinoa's soft and slow breathing reassured him in a way he could not explain.  Her mere presence was like a double-edged sword: soothing his pain yet reminding him of his dependence on another.  Would she leave?  Would fate take her away just like it had taken everything else from him?

The doubts lingered in his mind and he sighed.  Only time could be the judge.

"Squall?" a soft voice called breaking the stillness of the morning.

"Here," he replied.

Rinoa rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched, unknowingly catching Squall's attention.  The angle at which he was sitting to her allowed him to see down her shirt when she stretched.  His eyes ignored the chidings of his mind and continued to etch her beauty into his memories.  The top of her simple white shirt had become unlaced.

He jerked his eyes to meet hers when he heard her call him a second time.  "Squall?" She waved a hand in front of his eyes.  "You there?" she asked amusedly.  She hadn't noticed he had been staring at her chest.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

Rinoa looked at him quizzically.  "What's on your mind?"

He didn't answer.  He wouldn't lie to her unless absolutely necessary and he wasn't about to tell her the truth either.  Being a coward was not something he was about to admit.

"Fine don't tell me," she laughed lightly.  "How long have you been up?"

". . . Not long."

Rinoa sensed Squall had hidden himself, again – but for what reason?  She could only guess it had something to do with Trabia being so close.  What was he afraid of?  How could she help him if he didn't tell her?

"Squall . . ." she began.

He sensed her intentions and immediately stiffened.  "Breakfast?" he asked quickly, signaling that he would not allow her to delve into his feelings.

Rinoa shifted, nodding, and noticed for the first time Squall's cloak draped over her body.  She smiled at the gesture but did not verbally acknowledge that she had taken note of the fact.  It would only embarrass him.

He threw a pouch at her feet.  "Eat first, and then we'll head out."

Rinoa gingerly picked up the leather bag and pulled the drawstrings open.  It was filled with dried fruit.  She began eating them one by one and dared to glance at Squall.  He was still watching her and her curiosity got the better of her.  "I don't suppose you'll tell me why you're clamming up the nearer we get to Trabia."

Squall gave her a weary look.  "_I don't want to lose you."_  Of course, he would never admit that to her – he was having a hard time accepting that fact himself.  "You supposed correctly," he said coolly.

She crossed her arms and _huffed_ at him, giving him her best agitated look.  

It didn't work.  Squall let out a small chuckle.  A strand of hair fell into her eyes and Squall itched to tuck it behind her ear, but of course he didn't.  She tried to blow it out of her face to maintain giving Squall a reprimanding, stern look.  Instead of her desired intentions, she appeared _cute_.  His eyes opened in surprise at himself.  Squall didn't think he would ever use that word to describe _anything_, let alone a person.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.  Apparently his thoughts had manifested themselves in his expression.

Squall hid away his smile.  _"You."_  Instead he replied: "Nothing."

"Tell me . . . please?" Rinoa begged.

". . . I never thought you could eat so much."  He pointed to the empty pouch.

"Squall!" She became embarrassed.

"That was a _week_ worth of rations."

She looked incredulously at him as her jaw dropped.

His facial expression remained absolutely serious, and then he added dryly.  "Yes, I'm kidding."

At the reaction on her face, Squall couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.  He rose to his feet and extended his hand to her.

"Not funny," she huffed.  Rinoa grabbed the pouch and stuffed it back into his cloak, taking his offered hand while avoiding his gaze.  When she managed to decently control the wildfire-like blush that had spread across her face she met his eyes.  "Meanie."

"Remind me to buy you a vocabulary book."

Rinoa lightly slapped his shoulder.  "Did I ever tell you how much of a gentleman you are?" she asked sarcastically.

"Must have slipped your mind."

"Must have," Rinoa responded, a little upset the mercenary had gotten the better of her in their verbal spar.

"Oh, and to prove how much of a gentleman I am," he paused for effect as they headed down the hill.  "I will kindly inform your _highness_ that the lace to your shirt is undone."  

By this point he had turned away from her and she looked down to check the accuracy of his statement.

Squall was indeed correct in his assessment.  How the hell had he seen that?  Hastily retying the lace she mumbled her sentiments: "Pervert."

"Hey, I had to fight one guy over you.  I don't feel like fighting a whole town full."

"I take the pervert comment back then," Rinoa said.

Squall looked pleased but Rinoa quickly amended her statement.  "But you are not a gentleman."

"If I'm gone, who'll protect you?"

"If you're gone, then there wouldn't be voyeurs to need protection from," she quipped.

"Does that include yourself?"

"What are you talking about?" Rinoa feigned innocence.  He couldn't have possibly known she had been watching . . . well more like drooling over him training shirtless that one afternoon could he?

"Oh, I don't know," he said sarcastically.  "Although I do remember you were watching me practicing without an invitation."  He didn't have to look at her to know she was flustered.

They continued tramping through the terrain, seemingly unaffected by winter.  Perhaps the gods had decided to spare snow on Trabia this year.  It would be their first streak of real luck in a while – the town had been through many hardships.  Yet the citizens were still able to band together to form a resistance movement.  Luck had never situated herself in Trabia, but perhaps now she may taken temporary residence.

She looked up after several minutes – their paces falling comfortably together – and saw Trabia.  An immediate feeling of pain, loss, betrayal, and fear washed over her and she stumbled.

Squall steadied her and concern etched into his face.  "What is it?"

The young woman grabbed her head as to ease the headache away.  "There's something wrong.  Can't you feel it?"  She wondered if their tentative knight-sorceress bond was too weak for him to pick up the auras of the tortured souls.  It was as if Death itself lingered near . . . and perhaps he did.

Squall focused on being more receptive and felt a cold prickling sensation shoot through his body.  The hairs on the back of his neck immediately straightened up and he shivered from the eerie feeling.  She was right; some terrible tragedy had occurred or was still in the process of occurring.  "What is this sensation?" Squall murmured, shaking it off.  His entire body felt numb.

The raven-haired sorceress snapped her attention towards the source emanating the signals she had so easily picked up on.  Then she saw the faintest trace of smoke coming from the quaint town.  "Trabia," she whispered in a trance.  "Trabia has fallen." 

Author's Notes: Lol, ok ok, so I haven't updated in a while.  Apologies, but I don't get much of a break b/een summer school and (now) fall semester.  And with the amount of classes I'm taking . . . well you get the idea.  Seifer should be in the next chapter, I felt it was more important to concentrate on Rinoa/Squall and Trabia for this one.  Thanks for the reviews/support guys =).

Now onto the questions/comments.

Optical Goddess: Your reviews always make me smile.  You're a sharp lady for both stories you've reviewed recently of mine.

MagzDD: Yes it did mean "*ahem* *ahem*" =).  Sorry if I've confused you later.

Lycan_bloodbank: Marriage isn't going to happen for a while.  I didn't mean to rush it, but people do crazy things in crazy times.  So Squall's back to being his old self: progressing slowly towards opening up Rinoa.

Dark Raion: I hope things are going better now.  Hey don't you have a story to be updating? ;)

Keiry: I'm very flattered =).  Hope I don't keep you from schoolwork though.


	13. Trabia

_"Cool breeze and autumn leaves _

_Slow motion daylight _

_A lone pair of watchful eyes _

_Oversee the living _

_Feel the presence all around _

_A tortured soul _

_A wound unhealing _

_No regrets or promises _

_The past is gone _

_But you can still be free _

_If time will set you free"_

"You Can Still Be Free" – Savage Garden

**_Chapter 13 - Trabia_**

At her proclamation Squall could have sworn he felt any trace of hope leave him.  Trabia was supposed to be their salvation.  If the strongest city of resistance had fallen what hope remained for the rest of the world – let alone them?

Rinoa was having trouble breathing – whether it was from the overwhelming empathetic feelings she was having or the shock Squall couldn't tell.

"Come on," Squall urged.  "We need to see if everyone is really dead."  He spoke softly, but the bluntness of his statement still hit Rinoa full force.

He cautiously, slowly put a hand upon her shoulder to give her support, realizing that she had not become insensitive to death as he had.  She shook it off and turned to him with the inner fires of her eyes blazing with anger.  "How . . . can you be so _cold?!"_

"Mourning will not bring them back," he stated simply.  He had learned that lesson long ago.  Death was something you accepted, not because you felt it was right, but because there was no other choice.

"Don't you have any feelings at all?  One of those people that died could have been your sister or your mother or anyone else you cared about and all you can think of is checking to see if they're _dead_?" Rinoa asked incredulously.

The hatred he felt for Ellone resurfaced and he couldn't help but let an icy expression rest upon his handsome features.  He crossed his arms coolly and turned his head away from her, not wanting her to read him.

"You're not even human!" she yelled at him.  "I was wrong when I thought mercenaries could ever have feelings," she spoke coldly to him.  Before her better judgment could reign in the emotions that were overrunning her system she added, "I bet the rumors were true.  _You_ were the one that killed your parents."

Only training prevented him from letting any sign of emotion escape his countenance.

Betrayal.  Shock.  Anger.  He let them have free reign in his blood.  Narrowing his eyes at her, he clenched his fist, controlling himself.  

Squall could have easily responded with a comment that a sorceress was the one who had destroyed the entire town but refrained.  He frowned, giving her a hard stare before walking quickly towards the burnt town.  _I knew I couldn't trust her . . .  His heart was in agony at her obvious distrust of him.  __And after all this time . . .  He walked away from her, ignoring the painful thudding in his chest._

There was only one thought that rested upon his mind strongly enough for Rinoa to pick up: _They were right._

Rinoa followed him from a short distance.  She hadn't meant to speak to him like she did.  Her impulsive nature and her newfound empathetic abilities had caused her outburst.  

"_Squall," _she called softly through their telepathic link.  "_Forgive-_"

He quickly broke the connection.  She gasped at the foreign feeling of something _snapping_ in her mind.  He had weakened their link purposefully to avoid the invasion of her into his feelings and mind.

She gasped in horror as she came upon Trabia.  The once thirty foot sturdy wall had been burnt to ashes.  The sides of the wall were unhinged and charred.  White sticks poked through the fence.  Rinoa took a step closer and fought down a wave of nausea.  

The bone of human arms shot through the fence as if their last battle in life had been trying to escape.  Why had the gate been closed?  

She picked her way through the fence, yelping and quickly stepping out of the way as a piece of wood hurried towards the pull of gravity.  Rinoa could still see Squall stalking ahead.  She didn't need to be a sorceress to know that he was angry, betrayed.

Looking around the town she immediately closed her eyes.  The destruction reached everything.  Tripping on something, Rinoa looked down.  It was a teddy bear that had accumulated evidence of its treatment.  Blood and dirt encrusted the ragged doll - a child's most guarded playmate had been carelessly strewn across the road.  She picked it up gingerly.  Turning to the right she saw that the bear had not been abandoned.  A young child probably left behind in the panic, lay completely still.  His arm was still positioned towards his stuffed animal companion.  Flies feasted on his rotting corpse.

_"Oh god . . ."_ Rinoa cried in shock.  She dropped the bear and backed away, horrified.  Even in Deling the destruction had not been nearly this bad.  She might have fainted except for the sharp reprimanding tone that interrupted her thoughts.

"_Rinoa.__  Come here," Squall ordered telepathically.  His voice was lined with barbed formality.  She realized he only talked to her out of necessity._

Following his aura and pushing the horrific scenes from her mind she jogged towards Squall.  He was kneeling.

"Squall?"

"Help her," he stated, nodding to the victim beneath him, not looking at the sorceress standing over his shoulder.  A young woman in a once bright yellow dress lay at his feet.  She coughed up blood weakly.

"No," she rasped.  "Help Irvine first." She nodded towards the man whose hand she was still holding.  She closed her eyes, resting for the time being.

The cowboy wasn't moving and Squall hesitated to feel for his pulse.  He didn't know if he could bring himself to tell her that her companion was dead.  Swallowing his fear he gingerly placed a gloved hand on the man's neck.

Nothing.

He almost pulled away when he felt a faint and very slow heartbeat reach his fingers.  How he was still alive was a mystery to Squall.  He had witnessed others with lesser injuries die fairly quickly.  Yet he was pretty sure this man had been holding on for a few hours.  What did he have that the mercenaries didn't?

_"Something to live for,"_ answered Rinoa softly in his mind.

Squall jerked in surprise, having been caught unaware he had been projecting his thoughts.  He stood up with the natural grace of a warrior, standing besides the sorceress.

Rinoa hummed softly to herself.  It was a chant of healing.  A faint blue glow surrounded her and spread to Irvine and the woman besides him. 

If Squall was surprised at how quickly how powers had grown his face didn't reflect it.  Looking at the pair he knew they would be fine.  Squall straightened up and continued walking on, searching for the dead, evidence of what had happened to the small town.

He would have to ask the girl in the yellow dress what had happened to the resistance movement, to the town, and the status of the war.  He had been away from civilization too long, his connections to information sparse if even existing at all.  The ex-mercenary had not expected to immerse himself in the world's problems . . . or rather the civilians' losing struggle.  Since when did he become willing to help others beside himself?

"_Since Her,"_ his mind replied almost automatically.  A deep frown crossed his features and he continued to prowl the village, expertly analyzing every detail.  The heat left over from the fire that had consumed the town lingered, causing Squall to remove his cloak.  The brunette draped it casually over his shoulder.  Spotting a central building that looked like it could hold most of the town, Squall headed over.

The stench hit him first.  The buzzing flies swooped in and out of the cracks of the blackened building.  In his years as a mercenary he had never experienced firsthand their handiwork when they decided to be merciless.  Bars had prevented anyone from inside the building from escaping.  They had succeeded in their bloody quest.

Carefully Squall lifted the bar and jumped back when the door swung forward suddenly as if a great weight was on the other side.  Heaps of bodies fell at his feet.  The heat had been so intense their skin had simply melted off their skeleton, their flesh dripped in chunks from the rotting corpses.

Thoroughly sickened, but faring much better than did his sorceress companion, Squall headed back to the couple who looked like they had been the only ones to survive the mass killing.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his ankle.  The gun-blader almost jumped back in surprise.  His eyes immediately focused on the thing . . . no person grabbing him.  It was a blonde man with a tattoo lining the side of his face, although with the soot covering him, his blonde hair could had been mistaken for a deep black.

Exhausted with the effort of crawling the man released his grip on Squall's boot.  The mercenary stared in shock for a few seconds before reaching down and hoisting the man over his shoulder.  He headed back to Rinoa.  She was sitting cross-legged, talking with the two she had saved.

The aforementioned couple immediately stood up upon seeing Squall carrying another.

"Zell!" the girl cried in a mixture of hope and fear.  She bounced up and down anxiously.  

"Is he .  . .?" Rinoa asked quietly.

Squall raised an eyebrow.  "Would I bring him here if he was?" he retorted coolly.

She frowned, meeting his piercing gaze for a few seconds and nodded to Squall.  "Put him down."

The ex-mercenary sighed.  Since when was he doing errands?  Complying he set Zell down gently.

The raven-haired sorceress placed her hands on Zell and cast a rather powerful cure spell.  Her posture became unsteady and she closed her eyes as if to will away the headache.  Squall checked his urge to help her.

"You ok darlin'?" the cowboy asked her, reaching out to touch her.

Squall took an immediate dislike to the man.  Growling at him, he narrowed his eyes and blocked Irvine's hand from reaching Rinoa.  "She's fine."

"_Possessive,"_ came Irvine's thought.

The blonde-haired man from the floor groaned and blinked a couple of times before opening his eyes steadily.  "Ma?" he asked, sitting up and wildly looking around.  "Ma?!" he called more forcefully.  He would have gotten up but for Selphie's hand stopping him.

"She's gone Zell," she told him gently.

"NO!  She can't be . . . I told her to take Ifrit . . . why didn't she take him?" he cried out frantically.

_"Ifrit, the Guardian Force?"_  The question lay in Squall's mind.

"Zell . . . she loved you more than life itself," Selphie tried to comfort him.

"NO!!  She can't be . . ." His eyes filled with crystalline tears.  "Those damn mercenaries," Zell snarled, "they'll pay for this!"  He pounded his fist into the ground.

"Aww . . . does Chicken Wuss miss his mommy?" a taunting voice reached their ears.  They all looked up to see the familiar blond mercenary with a ragged looking Quistis in tow.


	14. Eternity

**_Chapter 14 - Eternity_**

Zell, Selphie and Irvine looked in horror and shock at the blonde mercenary before them.  Squall remained impassive while Rinoa's eyes burned in anger upon seeing her foster sister in such a shameful state.  It was obvious she had been more than mistreated.  Gone was the arrogant blue spark in her eyes.  Instead, a tortured and almost broken look replaced it.

"Bastard!" Rinoa spat at Seifer.

"Aw . . . nice to know I was missed," Seifer sneered.  "If you want me so badly, you'll just have to wait your turn.  Quistis here can't seem to get enough," he mocked.

The sorceress could feel the potent magic raging in her blood, screaming to be released.  She began raising a hand towards Seifer, fingers pointed at him, ready to kill.

_"Calm the hell down,"_ Squall snapped at through their link.  _"You're playing into his hands."_

The bloodlust in Rinoa's eyes dissipated.  She took in deep breaths, still angrily glaring at mercenary.  She fingered the summoning orb in the folds of her feathery blue cloak.

"Leave mercenary!" Zell yelled at him, his fists clenched.

Seifer grinned.  "All the mercenaries Chicken Wuss?  Or just me?"  His eyes mocked Zell because he knew something the tattooed man didn't.  He let his jeweled-colored eyes trail over to Squall.

"What the hell you talking about man?" Zell asked angrily.

Seifer smirked.  "I see you haven't told them your little secret.  Or how about the bitch over there?" he gestured to Rinoa.  "Not too bright are they?  Then again they are civilians Squall . . ." his voice trailed off as he looked triumphantly at the sudden comprehension of the three villagers.  He slung Hyperion from his shoulder towards Quistis.  

"Enough small talk," he ordered, "hand over the sorceress, Leonhart and yourself or the wench gets it and I'll make sure it'll be a wound that no Cure will heal."

Rinoa was thinking of a spell that would be able to bind Seifer when she felt the cool barrel of a gun at the back of her head.  Irvine pointed Exeter with a steady unwavering hand.  Shocked, the raven-haired woman turned to Irvine, disregarding the weapon aimed to end her life.  "Irvine . . .?" she asked confused, feeling hurt and betrayed.

"Your kind is the one responsible for the deaths of all of the villagers.  It was a sorceress that ordered our town to be burned to the ground with everyone still inside," Irvine stated matter-of-factly with amazing calmness in his voice.

Squall made a move to free his gunblade.

"Don't even twitch a muscle mercenary," Irvine warned Squall.  "We've heard of all the women and children you killed.  I think it's best for all of us if you and sorceress are exchanged for the pretty little darlin' over there."

Zell's mouth was still open in shock.

"Catching flies Chicken Wuss?" Seifer casually remarked.  "I don't have all day people – places to plunder, people to kill."

Zell angrily shut his mouth closed and glared.  Remembering the conflict within his heart he turned to the cowboy.  "Irvine, man, I trust that mercenary less than I do that one," Zell jerked his thumb over to Squall.

"They're all the same Zell," the sharpshooter casually remarked.  He turned around and winked at the martial artist and Selphie.  They understood his plan immediately.  "Well?"  He shoved Rinoa towards Seifer who had a triumphant gleam in his eyes.  He relaxed his grip on Hyperion, preparing to get the sorceress when Irvine's aim suddenly shifted to him and Seifer realized his intentions too late.

A shot was fired, and Seifer dove, as Rinoa closed her eyes.  

Irvine's aim was perfect.

It was only the greater reflexes that only a mercenary could possess that saved Seifer.  He leapt to the side and the bullet went through his right shoulder.  He howled in pain and immediately leapt up, locking his eyes to Squalls and pointed the gunblade to his left.  Towards Rinoa.

Squall not losing any time, drew out Lionheart with ease and agility.  He rushed towards Seifer, trying to block Seifer's next move.  The irony of the situation struck Squall.  He was yet again stuck in the same position as last time, being unable to protect her, unable to exchange his life, his very soul for hers.  Fate would not give him the choice.

"Rinoa move!!!" he shouted in desperation.  Rinoa couldn't move in the blind panic that overtook her senses.  She blinked twice, trying to process the warnings he gave her, but her brain was unable to coordinate any form of movement.  She was paralyzed not only from fear but the raw emotions she _felt from Squall.  The sorceress could feel his regret, his pain, and his sense of failure most of all.  _

He wanted the chance to say goodbye, to hear her call him a "meany," to comfort her in his arms . . . and he wanted the chance to make sure she knew he loved her.  But Seifer was threatening to steal that chance once again.

_"Fuck that_."  Squall knew that he didn't have more than milliseconds left before she would be gone forever from him.  Every muscle stretched and strained to reach its goal, his legs making powerful strides, and then he leapt.

Smirking the blonde gunblader aimed and squeezed the trigger.  Smoke poured from the end of the blade and Squall's eyes widened in horror just as he pounced on Seifer.

He was too late.

The bullet hit the target, dead on, piecing through the heart.  Quistis's heart.  The ragged blonde woman had dived in front of her foster sister.

"Quistis?!" Rinoa gently moved the blonde's frail frame off her own.

The blonde woman managed to focus her eyes on Rinoa as her injured heart began to slow – forsaking its duty.  She moaned.  "Rinoa?" she said softly, her vision blurring.

"Yeah Quis, I'm here," Rinoa choked out, stifling a cry.  "I'm here Sis, don't worry okay?  You're gonna be alright."  She moved Quistis's hand that covered the injury and couldn't help but sob.  Magic would not cure that wound.

"Don't cry Rinny," Quistis reassured her with a weak cough.

Irvine, Selphie and Zell worked their way to the dying woman, their faces grim and respectful.  Selphie laid a hand upon Rinoa's shoulder, giving her silent support.

"I . . .I," Quistis coughed again, this time with crimson blood as she fought to stay a live for just a few more seconds.  She didn't get raped and dragged for miles to die without saying the words she had been thinking ever since she had been captured.

"I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely at Rinoa.  Closing her eyes, she added, "for everything."  She drew her last breath and let go of the short life that had been granted to her.

"Quis?!  Quis!" Rinoa cried, refusing to believe her foster sister was really gone.

"No! Please for the love of Hyne!  You can't take her from me as well!" Rinoa cried in anguish, wiping at her tears.

Irvine pulled her into a hug.  "Shh . . . it's gonna be alright darlin'," he said soothingly, holding Rinoa tightly.  "I promise."  His words rang hollow to Rinoa, who had just told Quistis the same thing moments earlier.  Irvine was not a messenger from fate, nor could he ever promise her that everything would be alright.  She had heard those words, those lies too many times before.

Meanwhile, a fierce battle was ensuing between the mercenary and the ex-mercenary.

Squall growled, narrowing his eyes at the blonde warrior as they both picked themselves off the ground.  Relief flooded through him, just as regret did.  The gunblader was glad that it had been Quistis and not Rinoa.  He felt remorse for thinking those very thoughts.  He could literally feel Rinoa's pain and he welcomed it, hoping to lessen hers.  Her rage and pain fueled him.  Their link flared to life between their souls.  Squall could feel her feeding him her energy, demanding her knight to avenge her.  He complied.

Squall beckoned Squall with a finger and a wicked look in his eye.  The brunette charged.

The clash of their blades brought everyone's attention back to them.  Squall faked a thrust towards Seifer's arm, which Seifer easily caught onto and blocked.  He offered a swipe from the left of his own, nicking Squall's shoulder.

The knight growled as he focused once more on killing Seifer.  This time there would be retribution.

Sparks flew from the blade as Hyperion and Lionheart met furiously in mid-air, each obeying their master's command.  Seifer made a mean arc aiming to slash Squall.  The ex-mercenary leapt back, missing the intended strike.

They paused as each circled around the other, watching for a sign of weakness, for a chance to attack.

Seifer stepped back, pretending to watch Squall wearily.  He was conjuring a spell and Rinoa immediately sensed it.  Instead of warning Squall, she let her anger guide her.  Squall was not the only one that wanted revenge.

"Blizzaraga!" she screamed, feeling the powerful ancient magic surge through her blood and to her fingers.  A blue-white light formed and leapt towards Seifer, hitting him square in the chest as he lost concentration of the fire spell.

He flew back as shards of ice pierced his skin, causing several cuts and wounds.  "Two against one I see," he snarled as he looked from Squall to Rinoa.

"No, just a little revenge," Rinoa replied evenly.  "Besides, you can't take a little magic?"

Seifer glared at her before slashing his blade insanely towards Squall, losing his concentration.

Squall easily parried the attacks and launched counterattacks of his own.  Seifer barely managed to dodge a few strikes that would have been fatal.  He took the offensive once more when he felt Squall falter from the loss of blood through his arm.  Barely containing his glee he met Squall's blade high and countered the low thrust.  Using his speed to his advantage, he thrust forward, into Squall's chest, howling when he heard Squall give an inhuman scream.

The mercenary had won.  He would be Ultimecia's knight, now that he had proven himself.  Rinoa would be easy to capture now that Squall was out of the picture.

Rinoa screamed as she saw Squall fall to his knees as Seifer yanked his serrated blade from the gunblader's chest.  He turned a ghastly white and jerked forward, falling upon his hands as the blood began to flow freely.  Tears flowed from her eyes as concentrated on a cure spell.  She prayed that it would come before Seifer gave the fatal blow.

Irvine had already aimed his gun at Seifer, finally managing to get a clear view.

"Don't even think about it cowboy," Seifer said coolly.  "He'll be dead before you can get that shot off."

"And you will be as well," Irvine replied, matching Seifer's stare.

The blonde rolled his eyes.  "You won't be fast enough."

Irvine kept the gun in the same position, even though he realized that Seifer was right.  Bringing his left arm up, he made to swipe off Squall's head, only to be stopped in mid-swing by a gunblade through his heart.

He looked in horror at his chest as blood seeped out from both sides, staining his clothes a crimson red.  Seifer dropped Hyperion and fell to the ground, on his knees just opposite Squall who held his gunblade with a solemn face.

They both collapsed to the ground simultaneously, one fatally wounded, the other quickly dying.

Rinoa was the first to reach Squall.  Her knees slid against the ground as she raced towards him.  Cradling his body in her hands, she cast a Curaga spell just before Squall began to fade to unconsciousness.

She whispered softly in his ear as she stroked his hair, "And now we are forever bonded as Sorceress and Knight."

Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews guys, as always.  

PasifikStaR: Heh, I think this chapter answers your question to the Quistis/Seifer pairing.  Love your stories btw, all very wonderful.  Although, may I suggest you move the chapters that involve RJ + Hunter to the sequel, versus leaving it in RcH?  It seems to fit better that way.


	15. Solace

Author's Note: Yes!  Lol, I finally managed to be satisfied with this chapter.  Thanks for all the support and e-mails telling me to get a move on.  This wouldn't be here without you guys.  The next chapter should be posted soon.  I've got most of it written already.  If not, just bug me.

Dedicated to SoulSwhispers666 for your persistence . . .

**_Chapter 15: Solace_**

They buried the dead mercenary in an unmarked grave – fated to be forgotten as new grass and foliage would grow over the space through time.  The ash in the air still floated throughout the town, blackening whatever it touched.  Squall watched from the side as the last of the dirt covered Seifer's body.

Covering a weak cough as his chest wound was still healing, he turned towards Rinoa, watching her in the sunlight.  Her eyes were full of unshed tears as she knelt before Quistis's final resting place.  Speaking her silent goodbyes, she felt Squall's penetrating winter eyes on her.  Looking up she matched his gaze, in a staring contest she couldn't win.  She caught a wistful look in his eyes just before he turned away.  Maybe it was regret for the life he had unwillingly taken.  Then again, maybe not.  Studying his profile in the dim light, she knew he was a hunter – the lean, taut muscles edged with experience.  She couldn't have picked a better knight.  

She had claimed him, but she still felt as if she were the weaker one.  But if only he wanted it as much as she did.  Rinoa knew he could feel the draw, the power that resided in their bond.  His newly acquired instincts demanded vengeance for his sorceress.  He owned her as much as she owned him.  

But did he want it?

If only she could gain the courage to approach him and apologize.  The raven-haired woman was ashamed, but she promised herself to speak to him when the sun set.  The glimmering rays still wavered in their long beams, encouraging her to take its offered warmth.

She shivered, and it was not from the coldness of the air.  The wintry blue eyes penetrated her thoughts and Rinoa looked away.  Her strength was no match for his.

"How are you doing?" Selphie asked her.  The energetic young woman had not lost her spirit despite the circumstances.

Rinoa sighed.  "I . . . I'm alright really.  How is everyone handling the fact that they have an ex-mercenary **and** a sorceress in their mist?"

Selphie gave her a bright smile.  "They don't mind.  All of us have our secrets and burdens, but we never held it against anyone.  That was one of the factors that made us the strongest rebel city."

Rinoa chanced a look at Irvine and Zell.  They were busy arguing over what was going to be for dinner.

"There are no such things as WILD hot dogs Zell!" Irvine said with frustration evident in his voice.

"Just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist," Zell argued.

"Fine!  You go search for your 'wild' hotdogs and I'm actually going to catch some **real** dinner."  Irvine stomped off carrying his gun on his shoulder towards the small forest outside of town.

Zell snickered and turned to the women after Irvine had left.  "Is he really **that gullible to believe that I think there are wild hotdogs?"  Zell crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.  He'd let Irvine do the hard work.**

Rinoa laughed at their antics and felt just the tiniest bit better.  "I guess you're right Selphie.  They have more _'important'_ issues to worry about."  There was a moment as silence as both reflected on their situation.

The perky brunette nodded towards Squall who was walking off back to the town.  "He looks so . . . lost . . . maybe you should talk to him?" 

Rinoa slowly nodded.  "I know . . ."

* * *

Squall was thinking, or more like brooding in the make-shift cot the Trabians had provided.  He rolled on his side, contemplating the next best plan since there were so few of the rebels left.  The only way was to go on the offensive, to attack Ultimecia herself instead of hiding for the rest of his life.  It would only be a matter of time before she took out the rebel towns one by one.  He knew her power was linked to a Guardian Force in replacement of a knight.

He felt her presence before he spotted her from the corner of his eye.  He spoke first.  "What do you want from me?" he demanded in a low tone, barely containing his anger.

"Your forgiveness," Rinoa answered quickly, "for my cruel words.  I was not in my most rational state."

"But did you mean them?" he challenged.  They both stayed silent for a moment - Squall wondering if he could ever truly hate _her_, while Rinoa thought how to answer his question.  Then he realized, he _knew _that she would never betray or hurt him intentionally.  It was this fact that won over his stubborn nature.  He didn't have to hear her answers to know her heart.  

"No . . ." she answered softly.  "They were borne from a curiosity about your family though."

Although he wanted to hold onto his anger against her, and knew he had every right to; he let it go – anger was an emotion only mercenaries held onto.  Squall sighed and looked away.  ". . ."

"You don't have to tell me anything . . ." Rinoa offered.  She cocked her head to the side, studying him.

". . . Ultimecia's apprentice is . . . was my sister," he began slowly.

The sorceress stood silent, allowing her knight time to collect his thoughts.  The pain in his voice, in his being was so evident to her.  It was only through sheer force of will that she stopped herself from going to him and just holding him, until all the pain dissipated.

"She stopped being my sister the day she turned my parents in.  They told us of the crimes the sorceress was committing, how she was using mercenaries, and of the innocence of civilians . . ." Squall trailed off as he thought of his beloved parents, and their screams as they were tortured.

"Squall?"

He jerked himself from his memories and turned to Rinoa.

"What?"

"You just looked lost for a moment there . . ." she said sympathetically.

"It's nothing."  He dared to steal a glance at her and sighed.  He could trust _her_.  "They were . . .  My parents were . . ." _slaughtered, tortured_ . . . "before me . . ."  His voice cracked.  

Squall could still hear the heartbreaking pleas his parents made on his behalf.  He could feel their love.  How was he worthy of it?  Of Rinoa?  He turned away from her, closing his eyes.  Squall would **not cry, not do this disservice to his deceased parents.  **

And without another word, Rinoa flew to his side, holding him in her arms.  "Shh . . . I _understand."  Without him saying anything else, Rinoa knew.  She felt his anguish as if it were her own._

And with those simple words, Squall no longer felt so alone in the world.  She was the one person who understood his pain, his past, and didn't judge him for it.  He let her hold him, and even leaned into her embrace.  Squall pulled her to him with his right arm, dropping his head onto her shoulder.  

He felt solace and peace as they knelt together in silence.  Their pain becoming one, their presence comforting each other.

"I love you . . ." he whispered softly, hoarsely.  "I only need you," he asserted fiercely and almost possessively.  Squall held onto her tightly, as if she would be swept away with the wind if he let go.

"I won't leave you," Rinoa assured him.  "Ever."


	16. Home at Last

Author's Note: This is the last chapter.  Sorry for the delay, but you know how school and life is.  Thanks for all the support and the reviews.  I really do value each one.  I'm just curious, why do people think I mind if they add me to their favorites' list?  I don't bite, I swear!  Lol, be my guest if you want to add me to your favorites =) 

* * *

**Chapter 16: Home at Last**

Rinoa nodded, knowing he would tell her when he was ready.  "So . . ."

Squall raised an eyebrow, prodding her to continue.

"What's the next course of action?"

It was priceless, as the sorceress looked to her knight for guidance, placing her trust in his hands.  It was the way the bond should have been for generations, but just newly forged.

"I want to see how much training the rebels have first off . . .  If they're as prepared as I hope they are then we'll leave immediately."

"What for?" Rinoa asked, confused.

"We're going to attack Ultimecia head on."

* * *

"So we're basically going to sneak into the Garden, find Ultimecia, defeat her and then take over Balamb Garden?" Zell asked incredulously.

Squall nodded, as he looked out of Ragnorak's window.

"Dude, are you crazy?!"

"No Mr. I-Believe-in-Wild-Hot-Dogs, that's your department," Squall remarked dryly.

Zell's mouth hung open.  He wasn't sure whether to be more shocked by Squall making a joke or the fact the ex-mercenary didn't believe in wild hot dogs.

"What's going to rest of the mercenaries from killing us after we hypothetically defeat Ultimecia?" Irvine interrupted.

"They'll obey another sorceress," Squall replied matter-of-factly.

Selphie and the others still looked doubtful.  Power corrupted sorceresses, or so the legend went.  She turned from the cockpit to voice her objections.  "But what about the power?"

Rinoa felt their fears and smiled softly.  "You don't have to worry about me.  Only the sorceresses without a knight for a long period of time have become what you are familiar with today."

The Trabians nodded.

"I still think we should just charge in there and blow the place to smithereens!" Selphie said enthusiastically, pounding one fist into her other hand for emphasis.  Her companions looked scared.  "Five minutes until we land," she added cheerfully from the front of the Ragnoräk.

Zell cracked his knuckles and stretched.  Releasing the seatbelt he stood up and practiced a few moves.

Irvine patted Exeter lovingly, admiring the sheen of the gun.  "It's just you and me now darlin'."

Selphie raised her eyebrow at the cowboy.

"I was talking about you!" Irvine exclaimed nervously, seeing his girlfriend's look.

"That's good," Selphie said nonchalantly.  "Otherwise you would be spending a lot of time _alone_ with Exeter," she said sweetly.

Beads of sweat formed on his brows and he gave her a weak smile.

Rinoa closed her eyes, taking in the peace of the moment to relax as much as possible.  She hoped she would be able to control the very people she had been taught to fear her entire life.

Squall checked Lionheart along with the other weapons he had strapped along his person.  The daggers were secured along the side of his boot while extra bullets for his gunblade were hidden in his cloak.  Five minutes and they would be there.  How could the fate of so many be determined within such a short amount of time?

A soft, familiar voice filled with amusement interrupted his thoughts.  _"Brooding again?"_

_"Is there something else to do?"_ Squall retorted.

_"You could talk to me,"_ Rinoa suggested.

_"And I'm not doing that now?"_ came the sarcastic reply.

_"This isn't exactly talking now is it?"_  Rinoa sat with a smug look, settling down in her chair while Squall just shook his head.  _"Are you . . . ready?"_  The question was filled with a deeper inquisition than it seemed.

Squall mused upon his answer to her.  Was he ready to go back – to face the very place and people he had spent years avoiding?  Could he fight without memories of his parents haunting him?  

Before he could form a coherent reply Selphie cheerfully shouted, "We're here!"  The perky brunette tucked her Morning Star into the back pocket of her yellow dress.

Everyone looked to Squall for the next set of directions.  He sighed at being the appointed leader.  "Alright, make sure you have your weapons equipped, as well as the GF I gave each of you earlier.  We have to move fast.  Ultimecia knows we're here.  Irvine, Selphie, and Zell will follow our lead and fight off the mercenaries guarding the door to her room.  Rinoa and I will go straight in.  Hold off anyone trying to get through." He looked over all of them, making sure they were prepared.  "Questions?"

No one spoke a word.  The ex-mercenary nodded.  "Let's go then."

_"Diablos, cloak us please,"_ Squall asked his GF.

**"As you wish Master."**

The entire group vanished under an invisibility spell the GF had cast around them to avoid all enemies.  They could see each other though.  Squall pressed the button to open to the door and took a deep breath upon seeing his former home.

The Garden seemed to sparkle with supernatural delight upon feeling its best mercenary return.  Squall shook himself from his thoughts and walked determinedly towards his former home.  Sparing a glance at the gate-keeper he hoped over the bar and motioned for the others to do the same.

The gunblader strode confidently to the elevators, making sure no one was around to accidentally bump into them.  The doors opened with a _ding_ and the five walked in.  

"I've heard about these things!" Zell exclaimed excitedly.

Squall pushed the button for the third floor.  "Yes, it's called an elevator Zell."

Zell ignored the sarcasm while the others chuckled.  "No man!  I meant doesn't that button lead to a secret floor?  I thought all Gardens had them."  He pointed towards the unmarked hidden button close to the others.

The ex-mercenary nodded, impressed.  "How did you know about them?"

"Tch.  Just listened to the rumors about the academies is all."

The elevator doors slid open as it reached the third floor and the quintet stepped out, each one having their reason for being there, none less valid than the others.  Two mercenaries stood guard at the door, looking edgy and weary.  They had been alerted of the betrayer's presence.

Squall nodded towards the Trabians and they stepped out of Diablo's protection.

"Intruders!" one of the SeeD's shouted before twirling her staff into a battle stance.

Zell charged first, leading the battle with a heel drop and quick punches.  The black-haired woman fell surprised, but regained her position.

While the SeeD's were distracted, Squall led Rinoa into the room behind the mercenaries.  Sliding Lionheart out, he held his gunblade in front of him.  Ultimecia rose from her chair with a saccharine smile.  A long red cloak trailed her feminine form to the floor, and excessive amounts of beads and jewelry decorated her hair.  On her shoulders was a pair of black ravens, keeping watch over their mistress.  Her gloved black hands lay perfectly still at her side with unseen power.

"Welkome home, Squall," she told him in a smooth lightly accented voice.  Behind her tone was suppressed anger.  No one would betray her and go unpunished.  Especially not the best of her 'children.'

"This was _never_ home," he growled at the richly dressed woman.

"And I suppose the civilian world was?" she mocked.  "Did they welkome you with open arms Squall?  Or did they hunt you like the animal they thought you were?"

"Shut up," he growled, swiping an arm through the air.  "I came here to end this now."  

Rinoa stood behind him for support, looking slightly anxious as she felt the powerful aura emanating from the sorceress.  But that wasn't all . . . there was someone else here, with a similarly powerful aura.  Her eyes widened in fear as she felt a surge in the magic of the room, which could only mean one thing.

"Shield!" Rinoa screamed, saving Squall from a particularly nasty shot of lightning coming from behind Ultimecia.

The ex-mercenary couldn't see the second source of magic and glared at Ultimecia.  "Fairness was never your strong point."

"Neither was weakness," she smirked, clasping her hands together.  The sorceress called for Griever.  "Goodbye Squall."

A dark figure emerged, a hybrid of a lion and a dragon.  Large gray wings adorned the body of the massive GF.  It was a thing of deadly beauty.  Its wings stretched out as it stretched out its large body.  Ultimecia faded into its plane of protection as it narrowed its eyes upon Squall and Rinoa.

Giving a thunderous roar, Griever shook itself from the chains of its current master.  "**No longer will I serve the unrighteous!  I serve the Leonharts in their time of greatest need and never will I go against them!**"

The Guardian Force roared as Ultimecia struggled to hold her power upon her slave.  Rinoa spied the sorceress coming back into the current realm and the small dark orb that held Griever's spirit around her neck.  Squall was in a trance, as his life was being added to that of the Guardian Force in its quest to break free.

Rinoa knew Ultimecia would have a field of protection around her, one of an Otherworldly nature, but she also had an idea of who could overcome it.  Concentrating, she held her own dark sphere.  "Angelo! Come to me!"

The dog leapt from its plane of existence, looking towards its mistress.

"Fetch it for me Angelo," Rinoa asked, nodding towards the dark orb.

Her faithful companion bounded and leapt across the room, and snatched the trinket easily.  Angelo returned quickly to Rinoa, who placed Griever's spirit in Squall's palm.

And then at once, both the warrior and its protector were held still.  Lightning rained down on the room as an ancient power was unleashed upon the sorceress.

"Traitor!" she screamed at her ex-slave.

Griever seemed to smirk.  "**No, thou were the one that used an excuse to betray thy charges, the Leonharts, to take me from their family.  Thou art the traitor, witch!"**  The giant GF shook in anger and opened its mouth at Ultimecia, casting its most potent form of magic.

"Shit!" Squall yelled, finally recovering, and seeing the Shockwave Pulsar spell about to be cast, he slammed onto Rinoa, covering her.

The earth seemed to tremble, and an enormous beam of red light shot out of Griever's mouth.  Ultimecia gave a terrible scream, trying to cast Shield in vain.

The pulse hit her hard, making her fly back into the wall, bleeding from several wounds, but still barely alive, as Griever faded to rest in his plane of existence.

He spoke a few words to his keeper.  "**The battle rests in thy hands young Leonhart.  Fare well with thy courage."**

"You won't beat me boy," the sorceress snarled, pointing a hand towards the young warrior.  "Hell's Judgment!" she shrieked.

The spell hit Squall hard, forcing him to his knees as Rinoa too fell from weakness.  She recovered enough to cast a healing spell, at the same time Squall leapt at Ultimecia with fury in his eyes.

He had reached his limit break.  "Renzokuken!"  His very muscles strained to keep up with his determination.  He slashed at her triggering his gunblade perfectly.  "Lionheart!" he yelled with the last squeeze of his trigger.  Bloodied brown hair flew around his face, as he leapt with a warrior's grace, driving his blade into the sorceress's heart.  Screaming she fell lifeless upon his glistening white-blue gunblade.  It was done.  Her blood was splattered over the once pristine white walls and onto the forest-green carpet.  But her spirit would not be in peace until she passed on her powers.

Squall panted, leaning heavily on his sword and yanked it out of her dead body.  Her spirit had passed on.  "You got it Rin?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head in confusion and then she felt it.  It was the same source that had tried to hit Squall with a lightning spell.  "Squall," she whispered frightened, getting to her feet quickly.  "Get up, get over here.  There's someone else in here."

"What?" he asked as confusion set in.  The blood loss hadn't helped his thinking any, but he began to walk over to his sorceress.  The warning in her voice was enough to make him hurry, until another voice stopped him mid-step.

"Aw, no hug for me Squall?"

He almost forgot to breathe as the voice that had been haunting him for years reached him.

"_Who is she?" _he heard from Rin telepathically.

A tall figure that could have been mistaken for a weak girl stepped from behind the curtains.  She was innocently pretty, but it was in her innocence that peril laid.  A simple white skirt and blue top with a flowing green scarf to complete the look of innocence.  But she was lost innocence, lost to her hunger for the power of ancient sorceresses.  She was the one that had received Ultimecia's power.

"No hug for your _sister?_" she taunted.  Squall slowly turned around to look at the person he had called family so many years ago.

"You stopped being my sister years ago Ellone," he managed to say finally, swallowing hard.  He had been prepared to face Ultimecia and the entire Garden full of mercenaries, but had forgotten about the sister he once had.

"Could you really kill me though _brother?_" she emphasized, knowing that his pain was his weakness.  She was a part of him, his parents.  Ellone knew he wouldn't hurt his sister, so she walked calmly and slowly to him.  She stopped until she was standing a few feet in front of him, easily within striking distance of his blade.  Ellone held her arms out in front of him, leaving her heart wide open.

Squall shifted his weight nervously, his hand sweating but steadily holding the blade.

"Why can't we be like we were before?" she asked in a sweet voice, luring him into the security of family that he had missed for so long.

"_Squall," _Rinoa called from her mind, as she still stood weak a few feet away from Squall to the side.  "_Don't listen to her.  Please, you have end this now.  She'll just be another-"_

The ex-mercenary shut her out from his mind, wanting to listen to the entreaties of his sister.  He needed reassurance; he needed family and the love he had so long ago.  "Did you . . . why Sis?  Why did you turn them in?" he asked, feeling betrayed all over again.

Ellone smiled.  Squall was too easy to manipulate.  She had known that from the beginning.  "She made me do it Squall.  Ultimecia said she knew that our family was hiding a secret and she would kill you if I didn't tell her.  I had to pretend, Squall, that I _liked _doing it.  I couldn't let her hurt you, brother."

"She's lying to you Squall!" Rinoa said from the side, marching up to yank him away from Ellone's tricks.  She had him in a thrall – she must have!  Squall wouldn't, couldn't believe her, not of his own free will!

The short-haired brunette easily stuck one hand out, and used magic to shove and silence Rinoa back to the wall.  She was a pesky little thing that couldn't interrupt her plans.

Squall kept his ice blue eyes on his sister, feeling at peace with himself and the world.  He had found his long lost family.  "Sis," he choked out.  "I thought-"

"Shh . . . I know," she said in a soothing voice, opening her arms to him.

He stumbled to her and she lifted one of her hands to her hair, pulling out a wicked knife that Squall didn't see.

"Come here Squall – it's been too long," she said in a sisterly fashion.

Rinoa tried to scream at Squall but to no avail.  The force holding her down was too strong, but she couldn't let him die.  She refused to let Ellone win.  They had come this far damn it!  He wasn't supposed to die this way.  Struggling from her invisible bonds, she leapt at Squall, clinging to him as they both fell and as the knife came down.

"NO!" Ellone screamed as Rinoa took the hit.

Squall broke the trance he was in as his sorceress fell into his arms, bleeding.

"Rinoa?" he called softly.

"I'll be okay," she choked out.  "Please, finish this for the sake of the world.  For my sake Squall."

He got up, furious as he turned towards his sister.  Bringing Lionheart down in an arc, he easily slashed her arm.

"Squall!" she snarled, angry.  "Blizzaraga!" she shouted.

Shards of ice encased Squall, but Ellone hadn't known that his favored goddess was Shiva.  The ice refreshed Squall and healed some of the young warrior's wounds.  His eyes glittered dangerously, as the power of ice flashed through him.  "Diamond Dust!" he shouted.

The beautiful ancient goddess appeared in a wall of ice as he boosted her power.  Ellone gasped and stepped back, tripping over the rug.  The ice goddess opened her eyes as her beautiful garments flowed around her.  She looked almost maliciously at her opponent.  Summoning rows of dazzling but deadly ice around the girl she clasped her hands together and all of it smashed into Ellone.

The queen of ice disappeared after the damage was inflicted.  Ellone breathed heavily, and cast a healing spell.  But it wouldn't save her as Selphie's voice commanded her limit break.

"The End!" she said with a determined glare.

Ellone never knew how she died.  She found herself in a field of flowers and butterflies and then suddenly nothing.

Her dead body slumped to the floor as her spirit was separated from it in another realm.

Squall ignoring his immense fatigue turned to the woman he was forever bound with.  Selphie rushed over, but Squall wouldn't let her near as he cradled Rinoa in his arms.  Blood flowed slowly but steadily from her shoulder blade where the knife was still lodged.  He didn't dare remove it for fear it would make her bleed even more.

"Rinoa," Squall choked out.

Her eyes glazed over as she forced herself to focus on the only pair of ice-blue eyes in the room.  "Squall," she coughed weakly.  "I love you."  Then she closed her eyes from the tiredness in her soul and the pain in her body.

"Rin!" Squall shook her.  "Selphie!  What the hell is wrong with her?  It's just a flesh wound right?  Tell me it's just a scratch!"

The brunette looked sadly at Squall, spotting the tell-tale signs that suggested it was not just a scratch.

The dagger had been poisoned.

"Damn it!  Rinoa!  Come on!  You promised . . . you promised you wouldn't leave me!" he yelled, shaking her shoulders.  Tears fell from his eyes.  "Please . . . you promised," he cried.

Her body seemed to mock him as little by little life left it.  She wanted him to understand that she tried, but she didn't have the strength to fight the darkness.  "_Please forgive me Squall," _she whispered into his mind.

The warmth began to leave her body long before Squall did.

* * *

There was a small funeral held for those wanting to respect the dead sorceress.  It was a way for them to move on from the past and to rejoin the new goal of the future.  Some of them wept, others said nothing, paying their respects from their silence.  Squall did neither; he just watched on as the new Headmaster of Balamb Garden.  He retained his cold exterior to those who would dare speak a word with him.  He was grieving as well.

But nonetheless there would be a party later that evening to celebrate the hope for the coexistence of mercenaries and civilians.

_She _would have wanted it that way.

He had to hand it to his newfound friends – Irvine, Zell, and Selphie.  They were taking care of most of the tasks needing to be done around the Garden, giving him time to adjust.  It was strange to realize that she was truly gone.

The handsome gunblader sighed and left silently to be alone.

* * *

Everyone seemed to be adjusting to the new ideals, and their presence at the party was proof of their at least tolerance of it.  Then again, maybe they were just teenagers who just wanted to enjoy the pleasures of a party.

He watched them – Selphie and Irvine dancing happily on the ballroom floor, Zell with a newfound acquataince, trying to prove his manliness by consuming the most hotdogs.  Squall let a small smirk reach his lips – too bad Zell never took his stomach into consideration.  He watched Zell turn a slightly putrid green and run over in the direction of the bathroom.  Shaking his head he turned towards the sky.

A blaze of white light caught his eye as a star fell from the heavens to touch the earth before fading into oblivion.

"Beautiful isn't it?" a delicate feminine voice commented on the balcony.

Squall turned his wintry gaze upon her, giving her a large contented smile.  "Want to dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she laughed as he guided her into their own private music away from the crowd in the ballroom.

He realized that he owed Griever more than just Rinoa's life in that moment.  He owed him his eternal happiness with this beautiful woman by his side.  Squall felt a pang in his heart at the loss of the family guardian as Griever had given his soul and life for Rinoa's.  So much had been lost, and so many had been affected.  But perhaps the small number of people that had shown up for Ultimecia's and Ellone's funeral had been proof that most of them didn't support her ideals.  There was still hope for the world after all.  If even the outcast of society could be the world hero, he could only imagine what hundreds of determined mercenaries and civilians alike could do.

Squall had finally found his place in the world, in the arms of this beautiful woman.  He was no longer an outcast, because he had been accepted into her heart.  And that was what mattered most to him.  He was finally at peace, and home.

"Squall?" Rinoa asked, wondering what Squall was thinking about this time.

Gazing down at this wonderful woman whom he treasured infinitely, he dipped her and kissed her deeply.

**The End**


End file.
